Point Loma resident Charles Schnell and his team are celebrating their recent first-place finish in the 39th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, a grueling trek from Ensenada, Mexico, to La Paz.
Schnell, 49, took turns riding the Honda XR250 in the relay-style race along with teammates Nancy Emde and Chris Steward from Encinitas and Tony Rutter and Mike Welsby from New Zealand. The crew won the Pro Motorcycle Class 20 division, and was the 37th motorcycle to cross the finish line.
This is Schnell’s second time racing in the Baja 1000. He has participated in the last five races in various capacities, though, as either part of the crew or “a guy sitting on a gas can with a wrench,” he said.
This is not just any race. The no-holds-barred competition continues day and night through rough terrain.
The team waded through rivers, jumped dirt ramps and even dodged booby traps set by local residents. The 1,047-mile course put the teams’ skills to the test as they trekked though Baja’s demanding desert that never ceased to provide obstacles “” and we’re not talking about your standard flat tire.
Along the way, Schnell and his crew had to deal with the effects of Hurricane Paul that flooded some of the 29 river crossings along the track.
“Going through the mountains in the middle of the night “¦ it was like a scene from Hades or from hell, with guys trying to pull their bikes out of the water, dune buggies turned over their on their side in the water,” Schnell said.
But trudging through natural barriers is a signature part of the adventurous and turbulent race. At one point, Welsby sideswiped a cow that happened to wander into the middle of the track.
However difficult it may be to prepare for bovine encounters, Schnell said planning was the key to his team’s victory in a little more than 27 hours, approximately 17 minutes ahead of the next rider in their division.

In addition to the racing bike, the team took three trucks, each holding tools, spare parts and backup riders. But being prepared is not the only factor needed to be first.
Experience and skill came into play when a floodlight battery on the bike went out. Schnell’s quick thinking and fast hands were crucial as he sifted through the spare parts in the truck.
“We’re out in the middle of nowhere “¦ dust everywhere … and I’m ripping through all these boxes. And if I didn’t have that battery at that time, the race could have been quite different,” Schnell said.
The ability to keep a steady nerve under pressure can mean the difference between victory and loss, but it also determines whether you ride across the finish line or are carried away in an ambulance. The team’s closest competitor, a 29-year-old man, flew by Schnell early on in the race only to crash around mile 500, Schnell said. He “wadded” the bike, punctured his lung and broke his shoulder and three ribs.
Schnell said he knows the value of patience in this sport; he had to have a steel plate put in his wrist as a result of riding injuries.
“You learn that going super-fast isn’t always the best “¦ you got to have a lot of patience with this “¦ like the tortoise and hare,” he explained, adding that securing his place in the record books is a proud moment for him.
Schnell said he has confidently displayed the trophy on a cabinet in his living room and plans to race again and seek sponsorship to help cover some of the cost of racing.
As a day job, Schnell runs a retail showroom at 3350 Sports Arena Blvd. During the winter, he books tours down to Baja, where he shows riders and interested customers the beauty of Baja California’s countryside. For more information, visit www.southcoastmotorsports.com.
NBC is scheduled to air the Tecate Baja 1000 on Dec. 10, at 2:30 pm (ET).