Timothy Theodore Schenken OAM (born 26 September 1943) is a former Australian racing driver, team founder, and motorsport official from New South Wales, Australia. He contested 36 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, making his debut on 16 August 1970, and scored seven championship points. His finest Formula One result came at the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix, where he finished third to claim the only World Championship podium of his career.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Australian |
| Birthplace | Gordon, New South Wales, Australia |
| Born | 26 September 1943 |
| First Grand Prix | 1970 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1974 United States Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1970–1974 |
| Current/Last Team | Lotus |
Schenken also reached the rostrum in two non-championship Formula One events, taking third place in both the 1971 BRDC International Trophy and the 1972 International Gold Cup.
His route to Formula One was built on an outstanding record in the junior categories. The 1968 season was particularly productive: Schenken won the British Lombank Formula Three Championship, the British Formula Ford Championship and the ER Hall Formula Three Trophy, while also receiving the prestigious Grovewood Award.
He carried that momentum into 1969, adding the French Craven A Formula Three Championship and the Greater London Formula Three Trophy to his growing collection of silverware. Schenken then moved into Formula Two, finishing fourth in the 1971 European Formula Two Championship and third in the 1972 Brazilian Formula Two International Tournament.
Formula One arrived during that climb through the ranks. Schenken made his World Championship debut in 1970 and produced his breakthrough season the following year. His third place in Austria made him one of a select group of Australians to stand on a Formula One podium, while his seven career points ensured his Grand Prix record went well beyond simply making up the numbers.
Yet some of Schenken’s strongest results came away from Formula One. He became a highly accomplished sports car racer, enjoying particular success with Ferrari during the early 1970s.
The 1972 season was a standout. Schenken won both the Buenos Aires 1000km and the Nürburgring 1000km, while collecting second places in the Daytona six-hour race, the 12 Hours of Sebring, Brands Hatch 1000km and Watkins Glen six-hour event. He also finished third at both the Monza and Zeltweg 1000km races.
That consistency continued in 1973, when Schenken finished second in the Vallelunga six-hour and Monza 1000km. He remained a force in endurance racing through the middle of the decade, twice finishing runner-up in the Nürburgring 1000km in 1975 and 1976 before returning to win the event for a second time in 1977.
Le Mans also featured on his résumé. In the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans, Schenken finished second in the GT class and 16th overall. Around the same period, he was runner-up in the 1975 European GT Championship and took third in the standings the following season.
Schenken’s contribution to motorsport was not limited to driving. In 1974, he joined forces with fellow racer Howden Ganley of New Zealand to establish Tiga Race Cars in Britain. The company became particularly successful in the Sports 2000 category and went on to manufacture cars for several other racing formulas.
That move proved an early sign of a career that would eventually take Schenken from the cockpit to the organisational side of the sport. After his driving days, he became heavily involved in Australian motorsport administration and race control.
He served as Race Director for the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series, became a director of Motorsport Australia, and took on the role of Clerk of the Course at the Australian Grand Prix. His experience was also called upon internationally when he served as Clerk of the Course for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix in 2008.
Schenken later became Director of Race Operations for Motorsport Australia, remaining closely connected with the organisation and the running of major racing events long after his own competitive career had finished.
His contribution to Australian motorsport was formally recognised on 16 June 2016, when he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Schenken also occupies a special place in Australia’s Formula One history. Through the 2025 season, he remained one of only six Australians to have finished on a World Championship Grand Prix podium, alongside Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Mark Webber, Daniel Ricciardo, and Oscar Piastri.
Away from the circuit, Schenken is married and has three children: a son, Guido, and identical twin daughters, Laura and Natalie.
From junior-formula champion and Formula One podium finisher to Ferrari sports car winner, race-car manufacturer and senior motorsport official, Tim Schenken has spent much of his life on one side of the pit wall or the other. His driving career alone covered an impressive range of machinery, but his decades of work behind the scenes have made his contribution to Australian motorsport considerably broader than his 36 Grand Prix appearances suggest.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | De Tomaso 505 | Cosworth V8 | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT Ret | ITA Ret | CAN NC | USA Ret | MEX | NC | 0 | ||
| 1971 | Motor Racing Developments | Brabham BT33 | Cosworth V8 | RSA | ESP 9 | MON 10 | NED Ret | FRA 12 | GBR 12 | GER 6 | AUT 3 | ITA Ret | CAN Ret | USA Ret | 14th | 5 | ||||
| 1972 | Brooke Bond Oxo – Rob Walker Team Surtees | Surtees TS9B | Cosworth V8 | ARG 5 | RSA Ret | CAN 7 | 19th | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Flame Out Team Surtees | FRA 17 | GBR Ret | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team Surtees | ESP 8 | MON Ret | BEL Ret | GER 14 | AUT 11 | ITA Ret | ||||||||||||||
| Surtees TS14 | USA Ret | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1973 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | Iso-Marlboro IR | Cosworth V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA | GBR | NED | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN 14 | USA | NC | 0 |
| 1974 | Trojan-Tauranac Racing | Trojan T103 | Cosworth V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP 14 | BEL 10 | MON Ret | SWE | NED DNQ | FRA | GBR Ret | GER DNQ | AUT 10 | ITA Ret | CAN | NC | 0 | |
| John Player Team Lotus | Lotus 76 | USA DSQ |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Hill | 1971 | 10 | – |
| Mike Hailwood | 1972 | 2 | – |
| John Surtees | 1972 | 2 | – |
| Howden Ganley | 1973 | 1 | – |
| Ronnie Peterson | 1974 | 1 | – |
| Jacky Ickx | 1974 | 1 | – |
