by Tara Pachmayer | May 16, 2018 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
Formula One racing champion Lewis Hamilton once said, “Racing is what I love, so it’s pretty simple. I want to keep doing it and keep winning.” During the Belgium Ferrari Challenge, EMS Race Team kept doing what they love while earning a win at the world famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. After receiving contact in Race 1 that ended their day early, EMS Race Team responded with a Race 2 victory after ERIN the ems+ Ferrari 488 Challenge and driver James Weiland earned pole position in the rain.
“We really won the race during the morning qualifying in the wet,” Weiland said. “Rain and fog came again in the afternoon while we were out on our formation laps on dry slick tires resulting in a safety car start and finish. Big thanks to Boardwalk Ferrari, Rossocorsa, Conrad Grunewald, Jim Malicki, Dave Cameron, Ray Banda and R3 Motorsports. ERIN’s speed in qualifying got us the win.”
ERIN started her weekend at Spa by qualifying third for Race 1—just over a tenth off pole. A not so great start to that race had EMS running 5th and trying hard to get their places back among a crowded track. On Lap 4, however, ERIN received contact and got pummeled in LaSource by the car behind her which broke the right rear suspension and ended her day prematurely. The Boardwalk Ferrari / Rossocorsa team worked diligently from there to get ERIN ready to run the following day. When ERIN returned to the track, Weiland capitalized by driving her to pole position in the rain. The team would ride that performance to the Race 2 victory.
“The team did a great job working through adversity and putting us in position for the Race 2 win,” Weiland said. “Our goal was to come to Belgium and do everything we could to raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Cornerstone of Hope and Coach Sam’s Inner Circle and the victory certainly helped us do that. Hopefully we can carry this momentum into our next race in Montreal.”
The victory gave EMS Race Team their 5th podium finish of the season, one that’s made stops in Florida, Texas, Australia, New Zealand and now Belgium. Along the way, they continue to race to raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Cornerstone of Hope and Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation. 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 behind the scenes coverage of the Ferrari Challenge in Belgium visit EMS Race Team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
by Tara Pachmayer | May 7, 2018 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
Coming off their fourth podium finish of the 2018 season, EMS Race Team now travels to Belgium for the Ferrari Challenge at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on May 11-13. After competing in Florida, Texas, Australia, and most recently New Zealand, James Weiland and ERIN the ems+ Ferrari 488 Challenge will now race one of the most challenging and acclaimed circuits in the world at Spa. They enter riding the momentum of back-to-back second place finishes in the Trofeo Pirelli class during trips to Australia and New Zealand, respectively.
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the famous host of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, the Spa 24 Hours, World Endurance Championships, and many other high-profile racing events. The historic track held its first ever race in 1922 and was used for Grand Prix racing for the first time in 1925. Early on, it quickly developed a reputation for being the fastest track in Europe but also one of the most dangerous. Several renovations to the circuit dramatically improved its safety throughout its nearly 100 years of racing, while also maintaining its speed and features like the Eau Rogue valley and the Blanchimont high-speed turn that help embody its character.
“Our team is definitely looking forward to racing at Spa,” Weiland said. “It is one of the most exciting tracks in the world for a reason. It will be a challenging drive for us to be sure, but also a lot of fun. We’re just trying to make sure we’re as prepared as possible as a team for race weekend and remain focused on doing the best we can collectively once we get there. The Ferrari Challenge competition in Europe is always stiff so we know we’ll have to be at the top of our game in order to experience the same success we’ve had over the last couple race weekends.”
While racing for the first time in Belgium, EMS will be competing to raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Cornerstone of Hope and Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation. 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.
“We are looking forward to spreading the word about the great work that PETA Cruetly Free, Cornerstone of Hope, and Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation are doing for our community while we’re racing in Belgium,” Weiland added. “It’s amazing the impact each foundation is having on our communities, and we’re hoping to make them proud of our effort out on the track. We’re also hoping to make racing fans and drivers in Belgium who might not have heard about their work before aware of each foundation and inspire them to get involved.”
For behind-the-scenes coverage throughout race weekend in Belgium visit EMS Race Team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
by Tara Pachmayer | Apr 17, 2018 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
The race around the world continued for EMS Race Team at the New Zealand Ferrari Challenge. Over the last 12 months, EMS Race Team has competed in eight different countries. On April 12-15, driver James Weiland and the Boardwalk Ferrari crew added New Zealand to a list that already included the United States, Canada, Hungary, France, England, Italy and Australia. Racing at the Hampton Downs in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, Weiland would guide ERIN the ems+ Ferrari 488 Challenge to EMS Race Team’s fourth podium of the 2018 season with a second-place overall finish in Race 1.
“You have to credit some amazing late-night engineering from Travis Low and tuning from David Cameron of the Boardwalk Ferrari team to get ERIN prepared her performance in Race 1,” Weiland said. “It really was a great job by the whole team to earn a podium while competing against such a talented group of drivers here in New Zealand.”
After earning that second-place overall finish in the Trofeo Pirelli class in Race 1, Weiland and ERIN followed that up with a top-five overall performance in Race 2 to close out the weekend. EMS qualified third for Race 1 and fourth for Race 2 before finishing P2 and P5, respectively. This came during a wet weekend in Auckland that saw both races go off on the same day with only a short break in between.
“Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip to New Zealand,” Weiland added. “Got some hardware in Race 1 and Auckland was very nice. My six-year-old son, Max, gave me a teddy bear so I would not get lonely on the trip and Duffy went everywhere with us. Really good guys and good racing here in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Asia Pacific. Thanks to Tony from Continental Cars – Ferrari and the Boardwalk Ferrari team, David Cameron, Travis Low and Conrad Grunewald. Our goal was to get PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation and Cornerstone of Hope onto the podium and we’re proud to have been able to accomplish that.”
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. Guided by Christian values of compassion and service, they welcome and serve all seeking support. EMS Race Team has proudly raced to raise awareness for each cause as they’ve crisscrossed the globe over the past year.
For behind-the-scenes coverage throughout race weekend in New Zealand visit EMS Race Team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also find more pictures of EMS Race Team’s new mascot, Duffy, along with shots of ERIN during her trip to Hampton Downs.
by Tara Pachmayer | Apr 10, 2018 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
Riding the momentum of a second-place overall finish in the Trofeo Pirelli pro class during F1 weekend in Australia last month, EMS Race Team is now preparing to compete in New Zealand for the next round of the Ferrari Challenge on April 12-15. This trip marks the first time that driver James Weiland and ERIN the ems+ Ferrari 488 Challenge will ever race in New Zealand. Hampton Downs Motorsport Park will be hosting the action during a weekend that expects to be jam-packed with racing excitement out on the track.
“We’re certainly looking forward to racing in New Zealand as well as experiencing the culture,” Weiland said. “Hampton Downs is going to be a challenging track and hopefully we can get used to it pretty quickly during the practice rounds. Our goal will be what it always is, to stay focused as a team on improving collectively and performing our best throughout the weekend. If we’re able to accomplish that, we will put ourselves in position to compete for a spot on the podium.”
Hampton Downs Motorsport Park is located in northern Waikato, New Zealand near Auckland and Hamilton. As New Zealand’s most modern motorsport complex, it boasts three different track configurations along with two skidpad areas, one for driver training, the other for drifting as well as an SUV course and go-kart track. On October 18, 2009, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park was open for business and the first competition was held in January 2010. Today, after significant enhancements ever since, Hampton Downs is considered one of the most technically advanced race circuits in the world.
“PETA’s cruelty free bunnies gave us an extra boost in Australia and we’re hoping the same thing happens again here in New Zealand,” Weiland added. “We’re dedicating the race weekend to PETA cruelty free and everything they do for animals, so hopefully we can help raise some awareness with a solid effort. We’re also excited to be raising awareness for Coach Sam’s Inner Circle and Cornerstone of Hope while we’re in New Zealand as well. Like we do every race weekend, we encourage you to visit each website and learn everything you can about what each group is doing for our 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. Guided by Christian values of compassion and service, they welcome and serve all seeking support.
For behind-the-scenes coverage throughout race weekend in New Zealand visit EMS Race Team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
by Tara Pachmayer | Mar 29, 2018 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
Dale Earnhardt once said of racing, “It’s a never-ending battle of making your cars better and also trying to be better yourself.” For EMS Race Team, that battle to be better continued at the Melbourne, Australia Ferrari Challenge. Competing in a support race during F1 weekend, driver James Weiland and Erin the ems+ Ferrari 488 Challenge nearly captured two podiums in the Trofeo Pirelli pro class. Weiland finished 2nd overall out of 27 drivers in Race 1 before finishing 4th in Race 2.
Race weekend began by Erin snagging overall pole in qualifying and starting P1 of 27 for Race 1. She went on to handle great in a gnarly rain race from there. The No. 30 car made an audacious pass on the opening lap, but Erin ran well enough to grab a podium finish in the second position. Race 2, however, was a bit of a disappointment. Erin hit some radiator fluid on the track and the resulting contact for the lead left EMS with a car that struggled to turn. Eventually, Erin lost touch with the top three cars but held on to finish fourth.
“Our goal is always to get better as a team and we felt like we did that this weekend,” Weiland said. “We were pleased to finish P2 in the pro class and get up onto the podium in Race 1. You have to give a lot of credit to the Boardwalk Ferrari Team, Conrad Grunewald, Travis Low, Rudy Courtade and Dave Cameron for that effort. And even though we just missed the podium in Race 2, it was still a very enjoyable trip to Australia for us. Being here for the first time, we really liked it and the people are fantastic.”
During the weekend, the extra boost that the PETA Cruelty Free Bunnies provided Erin did not go unnoticed by PETA supporters and fans following along with the race. That attention and social media activity led to PETA publishing an article highlighting the action in Melbourne. An excerpt from that article published at PETA.org is as follows:
“Formula One fans had a cruelty-free surprise this weekend at the Melbourne Ferrari Challenge. James Weiland drove a gorgeous Ferrari emblazoned with the PETA logo and PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies logo, which is used to identify cruelty-free products. This was the first time that the EMS Race Team raced in Australia. The team finished second in the challenge and first in every animal advocate’s heart.”
“It’s always exciting for us to represent Cornerstone of Hope, Coach Sam’s Inner Circle and PETA Cruelty Free when we travel to a new country for the first time,” Weiland added. “But it really felt like the PETA Cruelty Free Bunnies added some extra speed for us this weekend—especially in Race 1. I’m not sure we would’ve gotten up onto the podium without them.”
For more behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Challenge in Melbourne visit EMS Race Team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Next up for EMS Race Team is a trip to New Zealand to compete at the Ferrari Challenge event on April 12-15.
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