About Ryan Schnell

Ryan Schnell got the itch to go racing the moment he laid eyes on a race car. He developed a passion for all things automotive when he would slide his old Audi 80 Quattro on snow packed, twisty mountain roads around his hometown.

He started his racing career in 2005, co-driving for a rally team at the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and has since continued to learn the in-and-outs of motorsports by co-driving in the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2006, he captured the Rally America Regional Co-Drivers Championship and repeated that feat in 2007.

Schnell quickly turned his efforts towards moving from the co-driver seat to the driver’s seat and was invited to try out for the factory Volkswagen Racing team in the inaugural VW Jetta TDI Cup Series.

Schnell’s favorite race is coincidentally the first event that he ever competed in – The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Whether he’s competing, advising a team or grabbing a wrench, if it’s got anything to do with Pikes Peak he’s all in. Scratch that, if it’s got anything do with an engine and a steering wheel, count him in.

This year Schnell returns to the Pikes Peak entry list for a fifth time racing for his newly created team – Schnell Works Motorsport. This will be the second year that the team will campaign their PEAK Performance Products Subaru WRX.