by Brendan Bowers | Apr 1, 2022 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
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 Facebook, Twitter 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.
by Brendan Bowers | Jun 22, 2021 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
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 Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
by Brendan Bowers | Jun 2, 2021 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
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 Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
by Brendan Bowers | May 18, 2021 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
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 Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
by Brendan Bowers | Dec 10, 2020 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
EMS Race Team competes in the Ferrari Challenge to help raise awareness for Coach Sam’s Scholars. ERIN the ems+ Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo approaches the starting line of every race with the Coach Sam’s logo proudly displayed on the hood of her car. The mission for the Coach Sam’s team is to provide educational support to at-risk children in Cleveland, OH through a combination of literacy, personal development and fitness programs. It’s a mission that EMS is proud to represent all over the world.
Coach Sam’s Scholars developed a winning playbook that has helped students succeed in the classroom and in life for over a decade. For years, passionate Coach Sam’s tutors have entered elementary schools throughout Cleveland and spent countless hours working directly with students after school. But when Coach Sam’s approached the starting line of the pandemic back in March, they quickly realized they’d need to run their race toward a better tomorrow in an entirely different way.
“We were an after-school program with no school now to come after,” Ori Akrish, Executive Director of Coach Sam’s Scholars recalled. “So we had to completely reinvent the wheel.”
The way that Coach Sam’s Scholars continued to support at-risk children and their families during a pandemic that forced the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to go completely remote has been nothing short of remarkable. With every reason to pause an in-person program until schools opened back up, Coach Sam’s made the inspiring decision to reach even more families. To accomplish this goal, they quickly executed three new initiatives all at the same time that have served as a saving grace for students and families throughout the year.
“When schools first closed there was a lot of uncertainty,” Akrish added. “One week in, the district announced they were going to close for a short time to conduct a deep cleaning. But we realized very quickly that this wasn’t going to go away, and were able to pivot.
“What we did was develop a three-pronged approach that includes virtual lessons, learning pods and drop-in centers to support families throughout the city.”
To launch their virtual learning efforts, Coach Sam’s Scholars forged a relationship with the Cleveland Public Library. What resulted from that venture was the Coach Sam’s curriculum actually becoming a part of the school day for students at Andrew J. Rickoff Elementary. Everyday at 2pm during the pandemic, Coach Sam’s instructors have been teaching literacy lessons through virtual platforms to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders during a time period that may not have otherwise been filled.
The second play that Coach Sam’s called came after recognizing that Cleveland students had a much bigger need than some of the children from other districts outside the city. Specifically, CMSD students did not always have access to technology, a stable internet, or a place for their daily virtual lessons. In response, Coach Sam’s Scholars stepped on the gas and created a partnership with the Rainey Institute and the Salvation Army to open free virtual learning pods for anyone in the district who signed up. Each pod now consists of up to nine students at a time and strictly follows CDC guidelines while working to provide additional support for virtual classroom lessons along with free lunches all week long. If not–with most parents in Cleveland being deemed essential workers–these students would otherwise be at home, alone, without the infrastructure required to even begin to learn.
The third strategy that Coach Sam’s simultaneously developed during the pandemic was an effort to support not just their students but also their students’ families. With many adults throughout Cleveland struggling with literacy themselves, it’s been difficult for some parents to help with their children’s schoolwork. Instead of swerving out of the way, Coach Sam’s Scholars drove straight toward this issue by helping to open drop-in learning centers for students and their families at multiple locations. These drop-in centers in Cleveland are currently staffed by Coach Sam’s instructors who work with both parents and students on their school work.
“With everything we’re doing, we’ve had much higher expenses with more staff in more places than years past,” Akrish said. “But it’s worth it. We continue to be motivated and inspired to do even more in the coming year.”
During this holiday season, consider making a donation to support Coach Sam’s Scholars in the name of a friend or family member. All contributions will help fuel these ongoing efforts to help students throughout Cleveland who might otherwise be left behind.
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