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EMS Race Team Earns Podium in Portugal to Start New Season

EMS Race Team Earns Podium in Portugal to Start New Season

The Portimao Circuit in Portugal was packed with racing excitement during the opening weekend of the 2022 Ferrari Challenge season. ERIN, the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO, was among the 46 cars that competed in the year’s first race. Despite starting the weekend with a wrist injury that prevented driver James Weiland from participating in Q1, Electronic Merchant Systems closed strong with a podium finish in Race 2.  

During the second race in Portugal on Sunday, Weiland and his team from Rossocorsa, R3 Motorsports, and Ferrari of San Francisco qualified P4. At the 16-minute mark of the race, Weiland made his move into a podium position for good. The Ferrari broadcast team discussed the pass that put ERIN into 3rd place.

Race 1 began with Weiland missing qualifying due to a wrist injury. A regimen of ice and rest helped the wrist get into good enough shape for the race on Saturday. But the team was forced to start in the last position because of the missed qualifying session. The 118 car made 16 overtakes in Race 1 to go from 29 to 13 overall.

“Portugal was a gorgeous country and we really enjoyed visiting,” Weiland said. “The racing was great throughout the weekend, and it was exciting to be back with our team competing. Our next goal is to race the best we can while raising awareness for PETA Cruelty-Free, Coach Sam’s Scholars, and Cornerstone of Hope during the Ferrari Races in May.”  

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization globally. Products proudly displaying the bunny logo are cruelty-free, meaning that they were produced without testing on animals. Coach Sam’s Scholar’s mission is to provide educational support to at-risk children through 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. 

EMS Race Team’s official schedule for the 2022 campaign is listed below.

2022 Ferrari Challenge Europe Season Schedule:

  • April 1-3 – Portimao
  • May 13-15 – Paul Ricard
  • June 17-19 – Budapest
  • July 22-24 – Hockenheim
  • September 16-18 – Silverstone
  • October 7-9 – Mugello
  • TBA – Finali Mondiali

Follow EMS Race Team on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram all season long for the latest news and updates. To stream the races live throughout the season bookmark this link: https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/corse-clienti/live.

The 2022 Ferrari Challenge Season Starts in Portugal


The 2022 Ferrari Challenge Season Starts in Portugal


EMS Race Team enters the Ferrari Challenge season as the defending P2 finisher in the European Championship. Driver James Weiland and his team from Rossocorsa, R3 Motorsports, and Ferrari of San Francisco secured 11 podium finishes during 14 races last year. They also notched three victories while competing at the most famous racing venues in Europe. Electronic Merchant Systems opened with P1, and P2 finishes in Italy at Monza before adding double-podiums in Austria and the Czech Republic.

Weiland captured a podium at Valencia in Spain from there, before two victories in Germany at Nürburgring. The regular season concluded with an 11th podium at Spa in Belgium. EMS raced to raise awareness for PETA Cruelty-Free, Coach Sam’s Scholars, and Cornerstone of Hope along the way and will continue to do the same in ’22 when race weekend begins in Portugal.

The P2 finish for Weiland is among the highest-ever for an American driver since the European racing series began. But second place won’t be good enough for EMS Race Team this year. According to Ferrari.com, Weiland and his team enter the season as the favorite to finish P1.

“In the Coppa Shell, in the absence of reigning champion Ernst Kirchmayr, his 2021 rival, the experienced American James Weiland (Rossocorsa), is the clear favourite.”

Favorite or not, the journey towards a Ferrari Challenge Europe championship begins at the Portimão Circuit on April 1-3. ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO will be among the 46 cars competing in the year’s first race.

“It’s exciting to be racing again,” Weiland said in advance of the Portugal trip. “It’s been a while since our team was together and we’re looking forward to competing. Hopefully, we can raise awareness for Coach Sam’s, PETA Cruelty-Free, and Cornerstone of Hope along the way.”

When asked about being called the clear favorite to win the championship this season?

“That is nice to hear,” Weiland said. “But considering the field is quite large this year with many fast drivers from last season, along with lots of new fast ones, we certainly don’t consider ourselves the favorites. We will try to do our best every race as a team and we will see where that sorts out at the end of the year.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization globally. Products proudly displaying the bunny logo are cruelty-free, meaning that they were produced without testing on animals. Coach Sam’s Scholar’s mission is to provide educational support to at-risk children through 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.

EMS Race Team’s official schedule for the 2022 campaign is listed below.

2022 Ferrari Challenge Europe Season Schedule:

  • April 1-3 – Portimao
  • May 13-15 – Paul Ricard
  • June 17-19 – Budapest
  • July 22-24 – Hockenheim
  • September 16-18 – Silverstone
  • October 7-9 – Mugello
  • TBA – Finali Mondiali

Be sure to follow EMS Race Team on FacebookTwitter and Instagram all season long for the latest news and updates. To stream the race live go here https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/corse-clienti/live.

EMS Race Team Notches 7th Podium Finish of the Season in Spain

EMS Race Team Notches 7th Podium Finish of the Season in Spain

EMS Race Team traveled to Valencia, Spain to compete in Round 4 of the Ferrari Challenge Europe and did enough to stay within striking distance of the overall series lead. While the race results may not have been what the team had hoped for going in, ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO did collect a P4 and P3 to keep the team within two points of the driver’s championship. They also picked up their 7th podium finish in eight races along the way with a late-August event at the Nurinburgring in Germany up next.

After securing a P1 and P2 finish in Italy to open the 2021 campaign, EMS added double-podiums in Austria and the Czech Republic before securing podium No. 7 in Spain last weekend. Those results have earned driver James Weiland and his team from Rossocorsa, R3 Motorsports and Ferrari of San Francisco a total of 96 points overall in the series which ranks second behind Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport) who currently has 98. Trailing Weiland in third is Christian Kinch (Formula Racing) who has totaled 76 points so far.

“Not our best weekend ever but nice to bring home some hardware,” Weiland said following the Ferrari Races in Spain on Sunday. “Thanks to Ferrari of San Francisco, R3 Motorsports, Rossocorsa, Dave Cameron, Ray Banda and Conrad Grunewald as we fought hard all weekend. We are now down a couple points in the championship but we have six races in front of us including two at our next event in Germany.”

That fight was evident throughout the weekend and highlighted by a late charge on Saturday that turned a P5 into a P4 with a photo-finish to close out Race 1.  While trailing Alex Fox coming around the last turn, ERIN kicked it into high gear down the final stretch to edge past Fox at the finish line and earn the Ferrari Races Move of the Day for her efforts.

ERIN Earns Ferrari Races Move of the Day:

During Race 2, ERIN continued to fight through adversity while being nimble enough to dance around a potential disaster. After qualifying P3, ERIN jumped out to a lead early in Race 2 but was forced to slam on her brakes to avoid a competitor’s car that came careening through the grass and back onto the track after being bumped off by another driver coming around Turn 1. ERIN was forced to let a number of cars by as a result to prevent what would have been a race-ending collision before coming back to close out the weekend on the podium.

ERIN Avoids Potential Collision at Circuit de Valencia:

Throughout the trip to the Spain, Weiland and his team continued to race to raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Scholars and Cornerstone of Hope. 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 Scholars’ 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.

“We want to thank PETA, Coach Sam’s and Cornerstone for everything they continue to do for our communities,” Weiland added. “We always appreciate the opportunity to help raise awareness for them on the track and our team is looking forward to doing the same later this summer in Germany.”

For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Races throughout the 2021 campaign, follow EMS Race Team on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

EMS Race Team Earns Double Podium in Czech Republic to Lead Season Series

EMS Race Team Earns Double Podium in Czech Republic to Lead Season Series

During two hard-fought Ferrari Challenge races at the Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic, EMS Race Team earned their fifth and sixth podium finish of the 2021 season. After the team’s streak of 12-straight podiums came to an end at Watkins Glen in New York last month, driver James Weiland and his crew from Rossocorsa, R3 Motorsports and Ferrari of San Francisco started a new streak with a pair of second-place finishes at Brno. The effort was also enough to maintain the overall series lead in Ferrari Challenge Europe heading into Round 4.

ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO pushed hard for a first-place finish in each race at Brno, finishing just tenths of a second away from the win. The pair of second place finishes helped Weiland and company earn 77 points on the season heading into the Ferrari Races in Spain on June 19-20. Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport) is the next closest competitor to Weiland, currently trailing by seven through three rounds.

EMS Race Team earned a P1 and P2 finish in Italy at Monza to open the 2021 campaign and then combined that with double-podiums in Austria and now Brno. Heading into Round 4 in Spain, the team will be focused once again on securing that top step of the podium in order to extend the series lead as much as possible.

“I better start pulling off some passes for the lead or the Reserve Driver will be taking over!” Weiland joked after the races at Brno. “But really just a great job overall by the team this weekend. Big thanks to Ferrari of San Francisco, R3 Motorsports, Rossocorsa, Conrad Grunewald, David Cameron and Ray Banda. Hopefully we can keep getting better and put together a couple of good results in Spain in a few weeks.”

Watch Race Highlights from Brno:

Throughout the trip to the Czech Republic, Weiland and his team continued to race to raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Scholars and Cornerstone of Hope. 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 Scholars’ 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.

“We were happy to help do what we could to spread the word a little bit on all of the great work that PETA, Coach Sam’s and Cornerstone have continued to do during our trip to the Czech Republic. We also always encourage people to check out their websites, learn more about what they are doing to help our communities, and find ways to support them however possible.”

For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Races throughout the 2021 campaign, follow EMS Race Team on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

Watkins Glen Ferrari Challenge Up Next For EMS Race Team

Watkins Glen Ferrari Challenge Up Next For EMS Race Team

EMS Race Team will be competing at Watkins Glen International in New York during the Ferrari Challenge North American event on May 21-23. After racing out to an overall series lead in Ferrari Challenge Europe through the first two rounds of this year, driver James Weiland and his team from Ferrari of San Francisco will look to secure their first podium of 2021 in the United States. Through four races in Monza, Italy and Spielberg, Austria, Weiland and ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo have already totaled four podiums and will be looking for more this weekend.

Road racing first came to Watkins Glen in 1948 by way of Cameron Argetsinger, a law student at Cornell University whose family had ties to the area since the early 1800’s. On October 2nd, 1948, Argetsinger organized the circuit’s first Grand Prix event and they’ve been racing at the “The Glen” ever since. In addition to hosting several high profile races along with the Ferrari Challenge, the circuit has also been named “America’s Best NASCAR Track” on four occasions by readers of USA Today.

“We’re excited to go racing at Watkins Glen this weekend,” Weiland said. “While we’ve been primarily competing in Europe these last few years, it will be nice to get back out and compete in the North American series and we’re hoping to do the best we can as a team while we’re there.”

EMS Race Team will be competing once again to help raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Scholars and Cornerstone of Hope. 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 Scholars’ 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. Each mission will be featured on EMS Race Team’s car throughout the trip to New York state.

“We’re proud of what PETA, Cornerstone and Coach Sam’s have continued to accomplish and hope that we’re able to do whatever we can to help spread the word on their efforts during the event at Watkins Glen.” 

Directly after the races in New York, Weiland and company will have a quick turnaround before jumping back into the European Ferrari Challenge with Round 3 in the Czech Republic scheduled for May 29. For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Races all season long, follow EMS Race Team on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.