by Heyward Wagner When the dust settled on the El Toro ProSolo, Bill Schenker stood atop it all. The former Olympic Slalom Skier, Schenker is known as much for his intensity, focus and relentless preparation as he is for his highly stickered CSP Miata with the ever-present “thanks mom” rear decal. Over time he has become one of the most recognizable competitors in the sport. However, in this moment, the celebration many were expecting was delayed as he sat in the car, overwhelmed, attempting to collect himself. To say that competition is in Bill Schenker’s blood is an understatement. His grandfather was an Olympian as well, a hockey player. Schenker’s mother was a champion skater and golfer and his father was a World Champion Master’s Ski Racer. Bill, taking after his father, enjoyed a 28-year career in ski racing. A three time All-American at Brigham Young University, Schenker was the first American to win the F.I.S. Masters World Cup in 1991 and twice qualified for the Olympic games. His first qualification in 1994 failed to come to fruition. He was forced to watch the opening ceremonies in a hospital bed in Vail Colorado having blown out both knees in a 55mph crash days before. 1998 found a 40-year-old Schenker again qualifying for the Olympics. This time he made the trip to Nagano Japan, becoming, at the time, the oldest person to compete in Alpine Skiing at an Olympic Games. In addition, he also had a direct and clear order from his orthopedic surgeon that this would be his last competition on skis. This left Schenker in need of a new fix. The wait would be short. On Tax day 1999, Schenker acquired a new Mazda Miata, a gift from his mother, Yana P. Schenker. Prone to be an enthusiast, Bill tracked down a local social Miata club and made contact with David Palmquist, who, by the way, later went on to win a CSP National Championship. A month later, Schenker had a helmet and a new hobby. From a humble beginning, Schenker has established himself as a force in C-Street Prepared. The Miata has evolved, now with Toby Larsson & Guy Ankeny tuned, ProPart USA built, Koni shocks, an OS Giken differential, 15" x 10" Bogart wheels and trademark Chasecam, Motul and MiataRoadster branding. Schenker has become a perennial “one to watch” each year at Nationals. Though Schenker has never stood atop a National Championship podium, he has 6 second place finishes, including one in 2007 when the top spot went to his co-driver, Reijo Silvennoinen by less than a half second. Last year, Nationals saw Schenker slip one spot from his perennial second, to third. While on paper, the result suggest business as usual for Schenker, the reality is that the 2010 nationals was anything but ordinary. Just 22 days before the Pro Finale Bill’s mother, Yana was murdered in her home in Aiken South Carolina. Having been very close to his mother, sharing bonds not just of family, but also as competitors and athletes, the loss was devastating. Yana P. Schenker had been an inspiration to her son providing constant support of his competitive and creative drive. Initially, Schenker had no intention to make the trip to Lincoln, much less compete. Ten days before the ProSolo Finale, however, Schenker had a change of heart. With the support and encouragement of his wife, Talya Nevo-Hacohen, Schenker began the process of preparing himself and the car for a run at the Championship. Over the next week and a half, Schenker, with help from Koji Haraguchi of Hiro’s Auto Repair and the guys at Engine Supply in Santa Ana California, worked around the clock to rebuild the engine, transmission and prep the chassis. They even found enough time to work in a little dyno tuning at Church’s in Wilmington, CA. Exhausted, Schenker made plans to fly to Lincoln and accepted friend Kurt Williams’ offer to drive Bill’s rig to Nebraska and stick around to help out during the week. In the Denver airport, he received news that prime suspect in his mother’s case was now suspected in an additional battery case. As he began competition in the ProSolo Finale, Schenker quickly realized that his wife had been right. With Talya at his side, Bill was coming to the conclusion that surrounded by his friends at Nationals was where he most needed to be. The death of his mother had proven to him that there was, in fact, evil in this world. However the Solo community, who he had not told about his mother for fear of burdening or distracting his competitors, showed the love and support needed to prove there was also overwhelming good. Fitting enough, as Bill was realizing that Nationals was where he belonged, he finished the Pro in another familiar spot, second, only a tenth off of the 2010 CSP National Champion, Scott Fraser. None of this had entered the mind of Schenker last Sunday as, round by round, he moved through the bracket of the El Toro ProSolo. It occurred to him that in round 1 he would face Solo ace Bob Endicott, a past CSP National Champion, and this would likely end his day. Instead, Schenker advanced and took a moment to call and update his wife, who incidentally, is an accomplished competitive runner. Talya had been on site to see Bill win CSP that morning but, having ran 25 miles over the weekend, left before the Challenge. As she was leaving, Bill recalled a tiny voice saying, "Just watch, now you'll win, and she won't be here to share that!" Schenker moved forward, with a call home after each round. His intention was to cut consistent .625- .650 lights, leaving a tenth and change on the tree to ensure there were no redlights. He also intended to run clean runs. This, however, was not to be, as he was forced to overcome a cone penalty to advance out of the 2nd round. He did. The third round pitted Schenker against yet another past CSP National Champion, Brian Peters. Despite his intent, Schenker cut a perfect .500 reaction time against Peters. This put Schenker in the final four, a foreign position, as he had never been out of round 2 previously. He moved past Paul Brown to face Craig Naylor in the final pairing in a Miata vs. Miata battle. The first half of the round saw Schenker fall nearly 3 tenths behind Naylor. As though it had been scripted, Bill found the time and then some on the second side to take the win. Without time between the final rounds, Bill had not been able to call Talya and update her. That task had fallen to friend and co-driver, Sho Torii. Torii had allowed Talya to listen in to the announcer calling the final round. Once the phone made it to an emotional and exhausted Schenker, it took all the composure he could muster to speak the words, “I won.” In the days following the event, I asked Bill what this win meant to him. His answer- “My first Super Challenge win? Solo is my sport. I love it. I have been doing it now for almost 12 years and I hope to do it for another 12 years. I have been fortunate enough to finish 2nd six times in the Nationals or ProSolo Championships. Last Sunday, just for that day anyway, I was the "fastest" guy or girl out there in our sport's most challenging format. That feels incredibly good. And when my co-driver from last year's Nationals, Doug Kott of Road&Track, came up to me and told me my Mom would be proud of me, I cried again.”
