by creative | Aug 5, 2016 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
While competing to raise awareness for the Cornerstone of Hope Foundation and PETA Cruelty Free, EMS Race Team traveled to Russia for the Ferrari Racing Days event in Sochi this past weekend. On a track surrounding the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, driver James Weiland and his team battled some of the best Ferrari Challenge drivers in the world all weekend long. Despite this significant test, EMS would eventually make Russia the fourth country they’d earn a podium finish in this season with a top-three performance on Sunday.
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by creative | Jul 25, 2016 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
Ferrari Racing Days is one of the biggest events organized by the Prancing Horse and features some of the best Ferrari Challenge drivers in the world. The first Ferrari Racing Days event was held in Nuremberg, Germany in 1996. Since then, this prominent celebration of racing has made stops in the United Kingdom, Italy, Hungary, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and the United States. For the first time since its inception, on July 30-31, Russia will host this marquee weekend and EMS Race Team will be among the many competitors.
The upcoming event will be held at the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia with the Ferrari Challenge races taking place on Saturday and Sunday. At just over 3.6 miles, the Sochi Autodrom plays host to the Russian Grand Prix and is the third-longest circuit on the Formula One schedule. The track is built around the Sochi Olympic Park—site of the 2014 Winter Olympics—and opened for racing just after the games concluded. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the first two Russian Grand Prix races at Sochi in 2014 and 2015, while teammate Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) won the signature Russian F1 competition this year.
When EMS Race Team tears off that same starting line during Race 1 at Sochi later this month, it will mark the third Ferrari Challenge event that they have competed in this season outside of the United States. Along with the Ferrari Racing Days in Suzuka, Japan, the trip to Russia will also be the second time that EMS will compete outside of North America this year. During this action-packed weekend, EMS Race Team driver James Weiland will be debuting a new member of their fleet as well, while trying to win for the fifth-straight time.
“We are very excited for Nicky to be making her racing debut in Sochi,” Weiland said of the Electronic Merchant Systems Boardwalk Ferrari 458 Challenge EVO trimmed in purple. “She is currently in Italy getting prepped for the trip, and we’re looking forward to seeing what she can do out on the track. If she’s able to run anywhere like her sisters Erin and Paris have this year, we’ll certainly be pleased with that type of performance.”
While competing in Japan earlier this season, Erin—the Electronic Merchant Systems Boardwalk Ferrari 458 Challenge EVO trimmed in red—was able to secure the first overseas victory of the year with a win at the Suzuka Circuit. Most recently, sister Paris has helped Weiland secure four-straight Ferrari Challenge victories at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin and then the Circuit-Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal.
“Our coaches, crew, and myself as a driver, we are always trying to get better from race to race,” Weiland added. “So we’re just hoping to continue to improve in Russia and grow as a team. With the many talented drivers we’ll be competing against from all over the world, we understand that nothing less than our very best effort will be required for a podium finish on a track as challenging as the Sochi Autodrom. Win or lose, though, this will be another great opportunity to spread our message of support for the PETA Cruelty Free Campaign and Cornerstone of Hope to the race fans in Russia.”
Weiland has been preparing for Sochi over the last several weeks. He was in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for testing at Road America earlier this month, and then at the GPX Labs in Miami learning his way around the virtual track at Sochi in anticipation of the trip. For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Challenge in Russia throughout the weekend, follow @emsRaceTeam on Twitter and Facebook. Also be sure to visit EMS Race Team’s Vimeo Page for on-track video action after the race.
by creative | Jun 16, 2016 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
As the great Enzo Ferrari once said, what’s behind you doesn’t matter. Heading into the Montreal Ferrari Challenge, directly behind EMS Race Team was a pair of thrilling victories at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. But in order for driver Jim Weiland and his crew to continue moving forward, there was no time to look back on past accomplishments. Competing in front of over 100,000 fans at the world-famous Circuit-Gilles-Villeneuve in Quebec, they would take full advantage of the opportunity at hand.
Despite a stacked field of talented drivers in a Ferrari Challenge race supporting the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, EMS Race Team turned in another flawless performance. With the support of Coach Conrad Grunewald, along with Ryan Negri, Rudy Courtade, Dave, Daryl and Donald Cameron, Andrew Prendeville and the rest of the Boardwalk Ferrari crew, Weiland and company remained locked in throughout the weekend. By the conclusion of Race 2 on Sunday, Paris—the ems+ Ferrari Challenge 458 EVO—had pushed past the finish line in first place for the fourth-straight time dating back to Texas.
“To follow what we accomplished in Austin with two more victories like this is truly a special experience for our team,” Weiland said. “And to be able to have the type of success we did at this track, in front of all these amazing fans, it’s hard to describe that feeling. I’m really just proud of my team for continuing to push and continuing to improve in all areas. Everyone pitched in to put Paris in a great position, and I just can’t say enough about these guys.”
Paris earned pole position for Race 1 before securing a commanding victory on Saturday. She took the lead on lap two and defended that spot for the duration, finishing 1st in the Trofeo Pirelli AM class and 4th overall. On Sunday, it was more of the same. Paris and Weiland earned pole position again before pulling in 1st in class and 4th overall as the checkered flag waved on a banner weekend for EMS. Competitors Marc Muzzo and Arthur Romanelli joined Weiland on the podium following Race 1, while Steve Johnson and Patrice Brisebois rounded out the top three in Race 2.
“We dedicated our Race 1 victory to the PETA Cruelty Free campaign on Saturday and the bunnies definitely helped us maintain a great pace,” Weiland added. “During Race 2, we were proud to dedicate the victory to our friends from the Cornerstone of Hope. We encourage everyone to check out each website, and hope that some of the fans who saw Paris proudly displaying those logos throughout the weekend will do the same.”
The Formula One competition began as soon as the Ferrari Challenge race concluded on Sunday. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes followed his victory in Monaco with a first-place finish in the Canadian Grand Prix for the 45th win of his illustrious career. He was joined on the podium by Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas of Williams. Hamilton vowed to remained focused as the F1 season continued following the win in Canada.
“I feel incredibly grateful and very blessed to have had these two great weekends,” Hamilton told BBC Sports after the race. “I’m just going to keep working hard. As you can see, I’m super-focused. Onwards and upwards hopefully.”
For more behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Challenge in Montreal, follow @emsRaceTeam on Twitter and Facebook. Also be sure to visit EMS Race Team’s Vimeo Page for on-track video action from race weekend.
by creative | Jun 6, 2016 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
The Circuit-Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec is the next stop on the 2016 Ferrari Challenge Circuit during a race weekend headlined by the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix. From June 10-12, Ferrari Challenge drivers will compete on the same track that Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and others will battle for control of the F1 season standings. Coming off a win in Monaco, Hamilton and Rosberg will fight to keep Mercedes ahead on points while Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari attempt to close the gap. The marquee-racing event is expected to draw a capacity crowd of 100,000 fans who will watch EMS Race Team continue its own charge throughout the weekend.
Fueled by a total team effort in Austin, EMS Race Team driver James Weiland helped push Paris—the EMS+ Ferrari Challenge 458 EVO—to a pair of thrilling victories. She finished 1st in the Trofeo Pirelli AM class and 7th overall in Race 1 at the Circuit of the Americas before closing Race 2 with a 1st and 5th, respectively. In front of an enormous crowd of race fans in Montreal, a great opportunity awaits for Weiland and company to continue their winning ways.
“We didn’t do as well as we hoped the last time we were in Montreal,” Weiland said. “But with the crowd packed into an amazing venue for racing it was truly a tremendous experience for us. One year later, we’re definitely improving as a team and hoping to build on the success we had at COTA. Win or lose, though, this is always a great opportunity to spread our message of support for the PETA Cruelty Free Campaign and Cornerstone of Hope to the many thousands of fans converging on this event.”
The Circuit-Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal first hosted the Canadian Grand Prix in 1978. Past winners include Michael Schumacher, Jackie Stewart, defending champion Lewis Hamilton, as well as the iconic Aryton Senna. EMS Race Team competed at the legendary track for the first time during the 2013 Ferrari Challenge. This year, however, they will arrive on the heels of two-straight victories as Weiland looks to add another podium finish to Paris’ young resume.
“To be able to compete on Saturday and Sunday as the anticipation builds for the F1 race will be awesome,” Weiland added. “We don’t take these opportunities for granted, and our team will be prepared to put forth our best effort against a deep and talented field. Hopefully we can have a repeat of COTA for Boardwalk Ferrari and Ferrari of San Francisco, I know my teammates and I are looking forward to the challenge.”
For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Challenge in Montreal throughout the weekend, follow @emsRaceTeam on Twitter and Facebook. Also be sure to visit EMS Race Team’s Vimeo Page for on-track video action following the race.
Article by Brendan Bowers
by Tara Pachmayer | May 18, 2016 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
Mario Andretti once said that a racing car is an animal with a thousand adjustments.
During the 2016 Ferrari Challenge at Circuit of the Americas, EMS Race Team’s coaches and crew helped make every adjustment necessary to put their young thoroughbred in a position to succeed. By the end of the competition, Paris—the ems+ Ferrari Challenge 458 EVO—capitalized on the collective effort by securing a pair of first-place finishes in the Trofeo Pirelli AM class.
Rudy Courtade, along with Dave and Daryl Cameron, Andrew Prendeville and the rest of the Boardwalk Ferrari crew had Paris dialed in all weekend long. She started fast in practice and carried that momentum throughout each race. EMS Race Team driver, Jim Weiland, delivered two technically sound performances from there on an extremely challenging course to earn multiple victories amongst a deep and talented field.
“Circuit of the Americas is a long track which means there’s a lot of places to make mistakes,” EMS Race Team coach Conrad Grunewald said following the Race 1 victory at COTA. “So really putting a good a lap together here is rough. It takes a lot of focus and a lot of fine-tuning. This weekend, Jim’s doing a great job of that.”
According to Ferrari.com, Weiland and Paris were “unstoppable” throughout Race 1 as they led in class from start to finish. Meanwhile, teammates Matt Keegan of sister dealership Ferrari of San Francisco and Jean-Claude Saada of Boarwalk Ferrari finished 1-2 in the Coppa Shell division. The double victory for Boardwalk Ferrari/Ferrari of San Francisco led to a wave of enthusiasm in the garage on Sunday, and Weiland would ride that back onto the track for Race 2.
“It’s like a rocket-powered victory,” Boardwalk Ferrari team partner Ryan Negri said on Sunday in regards to Weiland and Keegan’s Race 1 wins. “The team is excited, the team is pumped up. It’s the first double-victory of the year for us. Jim has won here a couple times before, so we’re going to see if we can do it again today. It’s amazing.”
After finishing 1st in class and 7th overall in Race 1, Weiland did do it again by finishing 1st in class and 5th overall in Race 2. Paris earned pole position in qualifying for both races and held onto that spot throughout. She did her sister Erin proud, who won twice at COTA in 2014, while notching her first two victories on the Ferrari Challenge circuit.
“I really can’t thank my team enough for putting us in a position to achieve everything we did this weekend,” Weiland said. “Everyone chipped in and did a tremendous job. The competition was extremely stiff and it’s quite an honor to leave Austin with two first-place trophies especially considering how well my competitors drove.”
The Ferrari Challenge field at COTA was the largest of the season with over 40 drivers in each race. To help celebrate the victories, EMS Race Team’s reserve driver joined Weiland on the podium and garnered the majority of cheers. Courtade would also join Weiland on Sunday while accepting the Coppa Team Award for the event.
“We dedicated Race 1 to the PETA Cruelty Free campaign and were thrilled to help raise awareness for their effort with the win,” Weiland added. “We were equally excited to do the same in Race 2 for the Cornerstone of Hope, and we really encourage people to check out their websites and learn as much as they can about the contributions they make to our community. Celebrating wins like this with our team is a great experience, but it means so much more whenever people take the time to learn about those causes along the way.”
For more behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Challenge at COTA check @emsRaceTeam on Twitter and Facebook. Also be sure to visit EMS Race Team’s Vimeo Page for on-track video action.
By Brendan Bowers
by Tara Pachmayer | May 9, 2016 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
Circuit of the Americas opened for racing in October of 2012. Since then, the Austin, Texas track has gone on to host the Formula One United States Grand Prix, the Road Racing World Championships, American Le Mans Series and other high profile events along with the North American Ferrari Challenge. Current Ferrari Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel—who won the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in 2013—is among the many elite competitors who has praised the challenging course.
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