According to a press release by Extreme E, it has unveiled the first of its two ‘Joker Drivers,’ in the form of Timo Scheider, a seasoned German racer with two DTM titles under his belt. He will be supporting the series across myriad sporting projects.
Along with his ‘Joker Driver’ responsibilities of being on hand to jump into one of the ODYSSEY 21s at a moments notice, Timo will also contribute towards designing Extreme E’s race courses at all of its far-flung locations.
Scheider has participated in a variety of motorsport disciplines right from single-seaters to touring cars and rallycross. He won back-to-back DTM titles in 2008 and 2009, a 24 Hours of Le Mans podium in 2010 alongwith wins at the 24 Hours of Spa and the infamous Nurbürgring and also the World Rallycross podiums in 2017 and 2020.
The 42-year-old’s ability to adapt his driving style according to different terrains, car requirements and conditions will prove of paramount importance in his new role with the championship.
James Taylor, Chief Championship Officer at Extreme E, said: “It’s fantastic to have Timo [Scheider] on the team, he has a huge amount of knowledge so we have a lot of faith in his abilities to support the championship.
“Timo has invaluable experience working across so many motorsport disciplines on terrains and conditions at either end of the scale, so he was a natural choice to help design the courses we’ll be racing on.”
Timo Scheider said: “It’s a pretty new experience for me and I was super excited about the Extreme E team and the challenge to design a course in the middle of nowhere. I really enjoyed the first recce in Saudi Arabia and designing a course in the desert. There are so many things to consider, but the course is going to provide incredible racing. I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21 and be the first to drive the official Extreme E course in just a few weeks’ time, it’ll be a moment in history.
“The ‘Joker Driver’ role is pretty cool too and I’m delighted to be available for all the teams and fulfil a driver role should it be required.
“Extreme E marks a new era of motorsport and its environmental ethos is something very special. I think the idea to create a motorsport series to raise awareness of the environment and the impact we as humans are having is an important one. I think the series is going to change the face of motorsport and that’s why I’m really looking forward to being on this journey.” The second joker driver for Extreme E’s inaugural season will be revealed later this week. The series’ opening X Prix will be held from 3 – 4 April in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.