Scheider believes he has ‘reasonable chance’ of top three championship finish

Timo Scheider believes he has a ‘reasonable chance’ of maintaining his current top three position in the FIA World Rallycross Championship standings to the end of the season, warning his rivals that there is ‘more to come’ following his star turn in South Africa earlier this month.

Belying his complete lack of prior experience in the ZEROID X1 – as one of only two drivers in the field never to have sat in the car before – Scheider was on the pace from the outset in the Cape Town double-header.

Showcasing all the skill and versatility that made him a double DTM title-holder and winner of both the Spa and Nürburgring 24-hour races, the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport ace claimed a fourth career podium finish on the Saturday before unleashing a dazzling display to pip Kevin Hansen and multiple world champion Johan Kristoffersson to his breakthrough World RX victory 24 hours later.

The results vaulted Scheider from sixth up to third in the points table, and with just two rounds left to run – on the all-new harbourfront street circuit in the heart of downtown Hong Kong next month (11-12 November) – he is hoping for a repeat performance.

“It’s pretty cool to be third in the championship now,” reflected the German, who will turn 45 the day before the forthcoming Asia-Pacific double-header. “I think there’s more to come from my side, too, because I’m still learning and adapting to the driving style required in this car. With such small gaps in terms of lap time, the tiniest mistake really puts you on the back foot and I think we all had a few ‘moments’ on-track in South Africa.

“If we can stay inside the top three overall after Hong Kong, that would be an outstanding achievement for myself and the team. We’ll need another clean and strong weekend, but I think we have a reasonable chance...”