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EMS Race Team Opens 2020 Ferrari Challenge with a Victory in Barcelona

EMS Race Team Opens 2020 Ferrari Challenge with a Victory in Barcelona

EMS Race Team opened the 2020 Ferrari Challenge with a bang. Soon after arriving at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, driver James Weiland and ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo secured pole position for Race 1 and never looked back. After an explosive move from the starting line to begin the race, EMS went on to secure a wire-to-wire victory that was never in doubt. The win was Weiland’s fourth-straight dating back to the 2019 Ferrari World Finals where he earned the title of World Champion.

“James Weiland enjoyed the best possible return to the Ferrari Challenge Europe with a commanding victory ahead of the star of Imola, Roger Grouwels,” Ferrari wrote in their recap of the race from Barcelona. “When the lights went out, Weiland got off to an excellent start to enter turn one ahead of Ernst Kirchmayr and Fons Scheltema. The race pace was remarkable, and after one lap Weiland already enjoyed a 2.6-second advantage over the first of the pursuers.”

By lap 10, ERIN had pushed out to a six-second lead over the next closest driver.  When the checkered flag eventually flew, EMS Race Team would finalize a margin of +10.465 over the competition before stepping onto the podium in P1.

 

“It was a very good day,” Weiland said during his press conference from Barcelona following the victory. “I had a good jump at the lights and was able to get on the racing line and just slot into the first turn normally. The car was just super from beginning to end. I just tried to drive solid and respectable laps and bring her home. I wish every race would end up like this one. I’ve had plenty that ended up differently, but this was a really good day.”

Following the victory, Weiland and his team from Ferrari of San Francisco, R3 Motorsports and Rossocorsa would conclude the weekend with another podium appearance in Race 2. While the P1 streak ended at four, ERIN and company did do enough to earn a second-place finish while wrapping up a successful trip to Spain.

“Our team from Ferrari of San Francisco, R3 Motorsports and Rossocorsa did a great job preparing us to race all weekend.” Weiland added. “Special thanks to Jim Malicki, Dave Cameron and Ray Banda for an immaculately tuned and prepared race car along with my driving coach Conrad Grunewald. Also wanted to thank the charities we race to raise awareness for at PETA Cruelty Free, Cornerstone of Hope and Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation for all the great work they continue to do in the community.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than three million members and supporters. Products proudly displaying the bunny logo are cruelty-free, meaning that they were produced without testing on animals. Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation’s mission is to provide educational support to at risk children through a combination of literacy, personal development and health and fitness programs designed to develop the whole child. Cornerstone of Hope, meanwhile, is dedicated to providing support, education, and hope for the grieving.

For more coverage from Barcelona, be sure to follow EMS Race Team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Up next for EMS is the Ferrari Challenge at the Mugello Circuit in Tuscany, Italy on August 28-30th.

EMS Race Team to Open 2020 Ferrari Challenge in Barcelona, Spain

EMS Race Team to Open 2020 Ferrari Challenge in Barcelona, Spain

EMS Race Team will make its 2020 Ferrari Challenge debut in Barcelona, Spain on July 18-19. Racing once again to raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Cornerstone of Hope and Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation, driver James Weiland and his crew from Ferrari of San Francisco will look to start this new campaign the way they ended their last one.

While competing at the Mugello Circuit in Italy against the best Ferrari Challenge drivers in the world, Weiland and company closed out 2019 by securing three victories during the Ferrari World Finals. Along with those wins at Mugello, EMS Race Team also earned P1 finishes in Bahrain, Le Mans and Nürburgring last year. This trip to Spain will be the first time that EMS has competed at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which will host this weekend’s event.

“We’re excited to be able to get back to racing,” Weiland said. “We know that Barcelona will be an excellent host for the Ferrari Challenge and we’re looking forward to competing on a circuit we’ve never raced before. I’m sure there will be some challenges, like there are on any opening weekend, but our main focus will be on giving the best effort we can as a team and living with the results from there.”

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya first opened for racing in 1991. Located in Montmeló, the track has hosted the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix every year its been open along with the Catalan MotoGP Grand Prix and other high-profile racing events. Michael Schumacher holds the F1 record with six wins at Catalunya while Lewis Hamilton has won there four times. This week’s Ferrari Challenge marks the second stop of the European FC series which officially opened the year in Imola earlier this month.

“It will be great for us to be able to help raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Inner Circle and Cornerstone of Hope during our trip to Barcelona,” Weiland added. “We’re proud of the work that each of those charities continue to do on a regular basis and we’ll do our best to help raise awareness for them while we’re in Spain.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than three million members and supporters. Products proudly displaying the bunny logo are cruelty-free, meaning that they were produced without testing on animals. Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation’s mission is to provide educational support to at risk children through a combination of literacy, personal development and health and fitness programs designed to develop the whole child. Cornerstone of Hope, meanwhile, is dedicated to providing support, education, and hope for the grieving.

For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Challenge in Spain be sure to follow EMS Race Team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. After competing in Barcelona, EMS is currently slated to then race this year in Portimao (August 1-2), Mugello (August 28-30), Spa-Francorchamps (September 11-13), Misano (September 26-27), Dubai (October 8-10) and AbuDhabi (November 4-7).