People start racing for different reasons, and there isn’t any obvious starting point or age for Drag Racing. You can transition from sponsor to driver or from watching someone close race to driving yourself. Once the opportunity arises, you will jump on it and hold on to it. Just ask Christian Schneebeli, who went from the sidelines to a mechanic and later behind the wheel. In this edition of Behind Staging Lane, we go back to Christian’s starting moment!

Text: Benjamin Wefer
Pictures: Benjamin Wefer, Bonnie Blue Racing

Christian Schneebeli is from Switzerland, mid-forties, and has a mechanical engineering background. He owns a small company that specializes in assembling, disassembling, and maintaining equipment across several industries. Whenever he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family or working on cars. What keeps me busy? Well, there is always stuff to do in the garage, it’s always about the cars, Christian added. The Bonnie Blue Racing Team foundation is family and friends, with the primary focus on having fun. The team consists of Christian’s Wife, Andrea; their daughters, Aline & Amy; Christian’s brother, Michael; long-time family friends, Roman Berger, Fabio Rovera, Thomas & Brigitte Stiefer, and Patrick Amherd.

Christian’s story began in the late 1980s when his father took him to see a race in Mulhouse. Mulhouse is a city in eastern France, located near the borders with Switzerland and Germany. His father, friend Remo Bruderer, was racing a Mini Cooper funny car called “Crazy Mini.” In 2002, he went to Turtmann, Switzerland, where his father’s long-time friend, Fabio Rovera, was racing with a Chevrolet Camaro. A new passion ignited as he took the opportunity to serve as Fabio’s mechanic the following season. Christian continued to work as a mechanic alongside Fabio till 2007. Later on, Christian joined Thomas Stiefel’s racing team in Pro Modified, where Thomas was running a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air called “Hawain Tropic” running a blown Hemi engine. Did you connect the dots already? Wait and see!

Stiefel retired from Pro Modified in 2016, and he stored the Bel Air in his garage. Three years have passed (2019), and Christian wasn’t involved in drag racing, but he couldn’t get drag racing out of his mind. One day, Thomas and Brigitte Stiefel were traveling to the US, and I asked him to look out for any cars for sale over there. I’m a Mopar guy, so I was looking for a ‘Cuda, or any Hemi cars for safe. There wasn’t any for sale, but Thomas did find a nice Mopar engine, which was a good starting point. After several talks with Andrea and recalculating all the financials, we decided to buy the engine. However, we were too late. But Christians’ disappointment at missing the opportunity didn’t go unnoticed, as Thomas offered to lend him the Bel Air as a rolling chassis. That was a lovely move, Christian added. We are very thankful for that. You don’t easily find someone who will lend you their Pro Mod chassis for an extended period, and we had this opportunity —it’s fantastic. Now the car is entirely ours.

Christian worked on the car during the pandemic and debuted the Bel Air under the name Bonnie Blue at Clastres, France, in 2021. He has been racing all over Western Europe with the car, achieving success in Super Pro ET, winning a race, and finishing as runner-up in the 2023 French Championship. The Bel-Air is definitely an eye-catcher on the track, and of course, we took the opportunity to learn more.

Where did the Name Bonnie Blue come from? Well, that’s an easy one. When we got the car, we were debating what color it should be, and my wife insisted it had to be blue. And our daughters were a little younger, and they wanted a big white star on the roof. I enjoy the Southern US lifestyle, which embodies freedom and the ability to do as one pleases. So, the name came almost naturally; Bonnie Blue. The name is a reference to the Bonnie Blue flag, first used by the Republic of West Florida in 1810.

What was my biggest challenge? To be race-ready, one needs to gather all the necessary things, including a license, SFI certification, a trailer, tools, and so on. I didn’t have to worry about that in all my years as a mechanic. Driving the car felt natural; of course, I was nervous like hell, since it was my first time! But I have known this car for a long time, and I know it is a reliable vehicle that always goes straight. That kept the nerves level under control.

Have you always wanted to race Super Pro ET (SPET)? What is so interesting about racing in SPET? I don’t particularly enjoy bracket racing. I don’t mind an Index, but I don’t like waiting on the tree while my opponent has already left, or the computer-related features, such as throttle stop and delay box, etc. I want to proceed with the 7.60 head-up class, which is still an index class, but with a pro Tree; however, we are not yet fast enough, so Super Pro ET will suffice for now.

However, the most interesting aspect of competing in super pro ET is the sport’s competitive nature. Many drivers and cars are improving steadily and running close to their index, making it a very tough category to compete in. For example, we lost a semi-final at Hockenheim by 0.0003 seconds!

Would you consider climbing the ladder to Pro Modified? That’s always the dream, I am in love with the blown hemis, Cristian added. However, at the moment, it is not possible for us. We are self-funded and cannot afford Pro Mod at the moment. Yeah, it costs a little bit of money to race Pro Mod, Christian added, laughing. But who knows what the future will bring?

Who usually builds the engine? How much horsepower is the engine generating? The engine is built by For Hemi’s Only (FHO). And we have been maintaining and rebuilding it ourselves. It’s a 604 cubic inch engine, but we don’t know its exact power output; we estimate it at 1100 horsepower.

What would be the most remarkable moment you have ever experienced in your racing career? And what would be the worst/least funniest moment? Remarkable moment? Every day, every time I step into the car!

The least funny was seeing my wife’s and kids’ reaction in 2023 after I raced Stefan Eisenhauer. When we crossed the finish line, I let the car roll past him as I headed to the return route. Stefan’s brakes failed, and he got off the track, crashing into a massive cloud of smoke. When I stepped out of the car and saw them in tears, at that moment, I didn’t know what had happened, but I was sure they thought it was me. I am glad Eisenhauer stepped out of the car okay, but it was hard for me to see my family like that.

So what does drag racing mean to me? It means everything to me. It’s part of our family vacation. I always told myself that if I was going to do this, it had to be with my family and friends. It’s not always fun, but having my family there and getting their support every step of the way makes up for it.

Now you know a little more about Christian Schneebeli’s story, where he started, where he is heading, and his passion for quarter-mile races.

Chassis Build-by: Robinson Race Cars
Make and model: Chevrolet Bel Air
Year: 1957
Wheelbase: 115 inches
Engine: 604 cubic inches by FHO
Carburetor: TMC Twin Blade
Transmission: FTI Powerglide
Forced induction: No, naturally aspirated
Differential: Strange Aluminium Ultra Case with 9 ½” Gear Set
Fuel Type: VP C45
Best E.T.: 7.752s, best Speed: 284.83k/hm