Tim Schenken

Timothy Theodore Schenken is a former racing driver from Sydney, Australia. He participated in 36 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 August 1970. He achieved one career podium at the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix, and scored a total of seven championship points. He did however have two non-championship race podiums – he finished third in the 1971 BRDC International Trophy and third in the 1972 International Gold Cup.

Career

Image:Brabhambt36.jpg|thumb|left|A Rondel Racing Brabham BT36, as driven by Schenken in the 1971 [European Formula Two season].
1972.jpg|thumb|left|Schenken at the Nürburgring in 1972] Schenken's lower formula results included winning the 1968 British Lombank Formula Three Championship, 1968 Grovewood Award, 1968 British Formula Ford Championship, 1968 ER Hall Formula Three Trophy, 1969 French Craven A Formula Three Championship, 1969 Greater London Formula Three Trophy, finishing fourth in the 1971 European Formula Two Championship and finishing third in the 1972 Brazilian Formula Two International Tournament.
Schenken had a great deal of success in Sports Cars racing for Ferrari. In 1972, he won the Buenos Aires 1000 km and Nürburgring 1000 km races, finished second in the Daytona 6hour, Sebring 12hour, Brands Hatch 1000 km and the Watkins Glen 6hour, and finished third at the Monza 1000 km and Zeltweg 1000 km races. 1973 saw him finish second at the Vallelunga 6hour and Monza 1000 km races. In 1975 and 1976, he finished second in the Nürburgring 1000 km, and then in 1977, he won the Nürburgring 1000 km race for a second time. At Le Mans in 1976, he finished second in the GT Class and was 16th overall. In 1975, he was runner up in the European GT Championship and finished third in the championship in 1976.
In 1974, Schenken co-founded Tiga Race Cars in Britain with New Zealander Howden Ganley, whose cars had great success in the Sports 2000 category, and constructed cars for a number of over formulae. He is currently employed each year as the Race Director for the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series. He also is a director of Motorsport Australia, the Clerk of the Course at the Australian Grand Prix and was the Clerk of the Course for the inaugural 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
As of the 2025 [Formula One World Championship|2025 season], Schenken is one of only six Australians who have stood on the podium for a Formula One Grand Prix. The others are Grand Prix winners Oscar Piastri, Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo, as well as World Champions Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones.
On 16 June 2016, Schenken was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division as part of the Queen's Birthday honours. He is currently the Director of Race Operations for Motorsport Australia.
Schenken is married and has a son, Guido, and identical twin daughters, Laura and Natalie.