by Tara Pachmayer | Apr 13, 2021 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
EMS Race Team arrived in Italy for the 2021 Ferrari Challenge at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza with a sense of purpose. Despite six months separating the team from their last race, ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo found a way to secure a P1 finish during an exciting race to open the weekend. After qualifying P4 for Race 1, the Electronic Merchant Systems car would navigate her way through the Temple of Speed for the victory. The win marked the 21st career Ferrari Challenge P1 finish for EMS Race Team.
“ERIN does it again,” Weiland said after the race. “We started 4th, picked up a spot at the start and then snagged 1st out of the second corner. Fell back to 3rd briefly, but we managed to pass for 2nd position, and then 1st, and won the race here at historic Monza by 1.6 seconds. Really special thanks to Rossocorsa, R3 Motorsports, Ferrari of San Francisco, Coach Conrad Grunewald, David Cameron and Ray Banda. Great team effort.”
The good times continued to roll for Weiland and company on Sunday despite challenging conditions in the wet. ERIN responded from early adversity to race her way back onto the podium during the second Ferrari Challenge event of the weekend. This time, the result was a P2 finish in the rain at Monza.
“We started P2 after a wet qualifying session,” Weiland said of Race 2. “We had a good run on the pole position car at the start but decided it wasn’t there, and broke early to tuck in. Only thing was, we broke early but too lightly and as we approached Turn 1 we had too much speed and had to take the run off. Bad job by the driver. But we rejoined in 5th, and had a really fun race from there.”
ERIN picked off three cars and was chasing down the race leader on Sunday when the safety car appeared with two laps remaining. That incident denied EMS the opportunity to fight for first. Nevertheless, an exciting way to get back into the racing circuit with a P1 and P2 at Monza. The team dedicated the weekend’s efforts to their friends at 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. 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.
For behind the scenes coverage from the Ferrari Challenge in Italy, follow EMS Race Team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
by Tara Pachmayer | Apr 1, 2021 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
EMS Race Team will return to the track for the first time since September of 2020 when they arrive in Italy later this month. From April 10-11, driver James Weiland and his crew from Ferrari of San Francisco, R3 Motorsports and Rossocorsa will compete at the Autodromo Monza (aka the Temple of Speed). The green flag comes six months after EMS last competed in a Ferrari Challenge event.
“We’re excited and grateful to be back on the track doing what we love to do,” Weiland said of the upcoming trip to Italy. “It’s a credit to everyone who helped put this race weekend together. We’ll do our best to take advantage of the opportunity.”
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is located north of Milan, Italy near the city of Monza. The historic track was first opened for competitive racing in 1922. Since then, it has gone on to host the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix every year. One of the many features of the track that must be handled with care is the Curva Grande. This high-speed curve is located after the Variante del Rettifilo which is positioned at the end of the front straight—the part of the course that sees the highest speed.
“We will be racing to raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Scholars and Cornerstone of Hope during the trip to Monza and throughout this season,” Weiland added. “Anything anyone can do to support their efforts and others like them doing great work in our communities is always welcomed.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world. 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.
Last season, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Weiland and ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo secured a pole position during the Ferrari Races in July and went on to earn P1 in Spain. Later, at Spa in Belgium, EMS also earned a pair of podium finishes. But ERIN was obviously only able to race twice in 2020, leading to much anticipation for all involved in the upcoming trip to Monza.
In 2019, EMS Race Team earned victories in Bahrain, France, Germany and Italy. The team earned 10 podium finishes throughout the year overall, after reaching the podium seven times in 2018. One of those trips to the podium in ’18 for Weiland included a P2 finish at Monza. The following year at the Ferrari World Finals in Mugello, EMS Race Team earned the title of Ferrari Challenge World Champion.
For behind the scenes coverage from the Ferrari Challenge in Italy, follow EMS Race Team on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram.
by Tara Pachmayer | Sep 16, 2020 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
EMS Race Team reminded us during the Ferrari Challenge at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium that it’s not where you start the race it’s where you finish. Driver James Weiland and his team from Ferrari of San Francisco, R3 Motorsports and Rossocorsa started each race at Spa in sixth position. But despite that, Weiland would offer a flurry of highlights in combination with technically sound driving to eventually net a pair of podium finishes.
Following a P2 effort Saturday, ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo closed the weekend with a P3 on Sunday. Throughout the trip, ERIN consistently lined up her opportunities with precision and moved past the competition one car at a time while securing two more trophies. After earning a victory in Barcelona to open the 2020 campaign, EMS Race Team now has four podium finishes in four races so far this season.
“ERIN did it again,” Weiland said. “We rode her to the podium from our P6 start during each race and had a lot of fun racing with some very good guys. Special thanks to the Ferrari of San Francisco, R3 Motorsports and Rossocorsa team, especially David Cameron and Ray Banda along with coach Conrad Grunewald.”
During Race 1, Weiland earned “Move of the Day” honors from Ferrari Racing for executing a flawless pass. After lining up driver Ernst Kirchmayr who was running in P3, Weiland capitalized on a turn to move past the 109 car along the outside and never looked back. Later in the race he’d make a similar pass to help secure the second position overall after starting sixth. He’d later explain that the team dedicated their performance to the three charities they race to raise awareness for during the trip to Spa.
“We dedicated our race weekend in Belgium to PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation and Cornerstone of Hope,” Weiland added. “We just wanted to thank them for everything they do with a solid effort on the track and hopefully we were able to accomplish that in some small way.”
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 from the Ferrari Challenge in Belgium visit EMS Race Team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
by Tara Pachmayer | Jul 20, 2020 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
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.
by Tara Pachmayer | Jul 13, 2020 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
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).
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