Tim Schenken is Race Director for the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

First, just wanted to confirm that your name is Tim Schenken, and not **!!&*#@ Schenken.

No, it is Tim Schenken, it's actually Timothy Schenken.

We never seem to hear your name without an expletive before it, do we?

I don't know, everyone always speaks to me very nicely.

What do you actually do?

You mean with the V8 Supercars or here at CAMS?

Bit of both ...

My roles with CAMS is Director Racing Operations, and that means basically I'm chairman of the organising committee for the Australian Grand Prix and the Clerk of the Course, race director for the V8 Supercar Championship Series, Clerk of the Course of the CART race at Surfer's Paradise and the main contact with international bodies in the FIA. That keeps me occupied for most of the year. For the V8 Supercar Series that is as Race Director, which is basically a role overseeing the Clerk of the Course and the local officials at each round. That role was introduced to provide continuity between all the events, the manner in which they are conducted, in terms of things like the start procedure, the practice sessions, qualifying and top 10 and the racing, to make sure it is the same at all races.

So there is a new Clerk of Course at each race?

Yes the Clerk of Course is a local person and I work with him or her. I am responsible for the start procedure, any red flags, Safety Car ... and stopping any cars under a black flag.

You've been around for a while?

When I came back to Australia in 1984 and took up this position here, one of the things I noticed with all the Australian championships was that there was no continuity between the races - they were just a series of races in different States linked by name. And apart from some pretty basic requirements there was no real link. And having been involved in international motorsport and seeing what was happening overseas I suggested very early on their need to be standardised. I introduced that about when Shell got involved...

So you made a job for yourself?

Well no, I wouldn't say I made a job for myself, but that is why I was employed.

Are you any good at your job?

Do I think I'm good at it? Well I don't really have any contenders. Perhaps you'd better ask some of the people who I work with.

You wouldn't be the most popular person at times, would you?

I don't know, it doesn't bother me.

Safety Car - your call?

Yes.

How did you start the fire in Darwin?

I'm not sure how that started, maybe it was because of Craig Lowndes going off there. We'd had a fire during one of the practice sessions in Turn 1 due to cars going off - same thing. The cars are very low, it's very dry up there ... but I have to say, it took a lot of work to get those officials at the flag point to flick their cigarette butts into the runoff area.

Do you want to talk about Adelaide?

No ... don't even ask the question.

But I've got ask at least one question ... with the Safety Car who decides which car it will pick up?

Me. When I say that, I work with Colin Bond and the Clerk of the Course, but it is my responsibility at the end of the day.

You've got a timing screen where you sit?

That's right, but the timing screen doesn't always help you because you can have a change of leader part way around a lap. And you've got the situation such as earlier in the year where cars could come in and make a pitstop while the Safety Car is on the track - they still can come into the pits but it is not considered that they've taken one of their compulsory stops. In the longer races they can stop under the Safety Car anyway. You can have a situation where the number one and two car make a pitstop and change positions in pitlane ... there are lots of traps.

We're all human, do you feel bad when you've made a mistake?

Yes, I certainly do. I think the interesting thing is, and most sports are the same, if you look at the mistakes drivers make, mechanics make, engine builders make ... there are mistakes going on all the time, and that is acceptable. But if you look at the officials, no official can ever make a mistake.

So you are closely aligned with an AFL umpire?

It is interesting listening to what goes on with the AFL.

You've said you call black flags during the races, but who works out the penalties afterwards?

Any penalties that aren't dealt with during the race, are dealt with by the stewards. A stewards' inquiry is normally initiated by a report from me, which might come in from one of the trackside officials or it may be something that has been picked up by me or one of the other officials in race control, and a report goes to the stewards; they decide whether to take action or not.

So Greg Murphy at Phillip Island, that comes from you saying something?

No, the stewards can initiate their own inquiry as well. In the case of Phillip Island, and I think you are talking about the accident with Jason Bargwanna, I think the stewards initiated that themselves. One of the things the stewards can do while the race is on, while we normally have the Chief Steward with us in race control, if there is an incident that has happened they can actually start the process immediately. I can't start anything like that until after the race.

Essentially then, if it is a small indiscretion you'll make the call during the race?

If it is clear then we like to try and do it during the race, the objective is it sort out the problem, preferably with a pitlane penalty during the race, so the results as you see them at the end of the race stand. Your objective is to have the results stand as they were recorded at the end of any competition.

The standard of today's drivers, on the whole is it any good or are there dodgy bits?

Well there are certainly lots of dodgy bits and lots of excitement. I think the standard has improved somewhat, it's a very fine line between exciting racing and people just being silly. And I think we've achieved that, certainly this year. If you look now at the cars at the end of the race, there's a lot less damage than there was a couple years ago ... so I think we are sort of keeping that fine line there. You've still got exciting racing, you've still got plenty of paint being swapped, but we've got a lot less of this crashing into people and driving them off the road.

So rubbing is racing, still?

Yes.

Who is the best touring car driver you've ever seen?

I don't know ... Jimmy Clark.

Who is your best off-track adversary?

Off-track? What do you mean?

Who puts up the best debates to you?

No-one in particular ... I mean, they are all good. Whatever team or whatever driver, they are all good at arguing their points.

So when there's banging on the door and you hear '!!#*$@ Schenken, it's Garry Rogers here' you don't go and hide?

You don't go and hide. But we are very reluctant to let anyone into race control during a race because clearly we've got our responsibilities and everyone in race control is running a race, not arguing why did this happen and why did that happen.

When do you think was the last time someone said something nice about you in the media?

I don't read the magazines... with the exception of V8X.

When was the last time you actively competed in a race?

Officially the last time was in 1977, that's when I retired as a professional racing driver.

Do you think you are too far removed from the racing side of it then?

There's always that accusation I suppose, but at the end of the day racing hasn't changed since I was driving. It sure is a lot more competitive now and there are many more commercial implications, but I don't think the way in which you race and the standards you expect of yourself have really changed a lot.

Have you driven a V8 Supercar?

No, I haven't.

Do you think someone should let you drive one?

I don't know if I'd particularly like to drive one, because I think if you are going to try something like that you need to be able to drive the car at a fair sort of a lick. Otherwise it would just be difficult ... but it may be fun to go out somewhere when there is no-one around one day and just have a whistle around and see if I can actually drive one at any sort of speed. It would be no fun driving around at 10 seconds off the lap times.

We could organise it if you want a story on it ... just in case you go off the track.

That's not what I meant.

What are the rules in Australia about throwing a motor race?

I assume you are talking about the Austrian GP with Schumacher and Barrichello? First of all, I think that team orders are a part of motorsport and they have been for a long time. If you are talking about Ferrari, they clearly state that they have a number one driver and a number two driver. They don't hide that at all, so you would expect team orders. Perhaps what they did in Austria was a bit over the top, and it may cause them some grief with the FIA.

I don't know how we'd deal with that in Australia, the rules certainly talk about an act prejudicial to motorsport and it would be a matter of whether an act like that is deemed prejudicial.