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 Tara Pachmayer | May 26, 2021 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
EMS Race Team arrives at the Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic this weekend to compete in Round 3 of the Ferrari Challenge Europe Series. After the team’s streak of 12-straight podium finishes came to an end at Watkins Glen in New York, driver James Weiland and his crew from Rossocorsa, R3 Motorsports and Ferrari of San Francisco will look to start a new streak during the Ferrari Races on May 29-30.
Following impressive efforts at Monza and Spielberg to open the European Challenge, Weiland and company currently sit in first place in the series standings overall heading into Brno. EMS began the racing season with a P1 and P2 finish in Italy and then combined that with a double-podium in Austria. That gave Weiland 50 points on the season which has his team up by 11 over the next closest driver. But in order to extend that lead this weekend, the team will need to take it one lap at a time and continue to collectively push in order to maximize results.
“Our streak of 12 podiums in a row was snapped at Watkins Glen but we’re putting that experience behind us,” Weiland said. “Our goal is to keep moving forward and start a new podium streak during the trip to Brno.”
The Brno Circuit, previously referred to as the Masaryk Circuit, is a motorsport track located near the city of Brno in the Czech Republic. The circuit dates as far back as 1930, when an open-air track was constructed which ran along the main roads on the outskirts of town. Racing on the old roads ended in 1986, when the current circuit was officially opened. EMS Race Team last competed at the track during the Ferrari Challenge races in 2018.
Throughout the trip to the Czech Republic, Weiland will continue 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’re proud of what PETA, Coach Sam’s and Cornerstone have continued to do and we just want to help spread the word on that as much as possible. If we can get them back onto the podium in the Czech Republic that would be great too.”
For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Races at Brno, 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 Tara Pachmayer | May 4, 2021 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
EMS Race Team earned a pair of podium finishes during an exciting weekend of racing at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. In doing so, the team was able to extend their points lead in the 2021 European Ferrari Challenge season series with Round 3 in the Czech Republic scheduled for later this month. Driver James Weiland and his team from Rossocorsa, R3 Motorsports and Ferrari of San Francisco earned a P3 finish on Saturday before offering a spirited comeback on Sunday to close out the weekend with another podium.
During Race 1, EMS qualified 3rd and that is where they finished—but Race 2 was much more eventful. On Sunday, ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo was unceremoniously punted into the grass exiting Turn 1 at the start of the race. She was forced to rejoin in 17th place after receiving contact during the incident but then went work. ERIN would surgically dispatch one car after another from there to finish 4th overall and 3rd in class in only about 10 green flags laps. Along the way, she also laid down the fastest time in all three sectors and the fastest lap to conclude a memorable trip to the Austrian Alps.
“It was a great team effort for us and also a tremendous event overall in Austria,” Weiland said. “Special thanks to Dave Cameron and Ray Banda of R3 Motorsports for an impeccably prepared car as always, Engineer Gianluca Curti of Italy who was covering for Travis Low, and Coach Jon Lancaster filling in for Conrad Grunewald. We’re excited to build on this and get back on the track later this month.”
After Round 1 at Monza, EMS held a four-point lead over the next closest competitor. While adding two more podiums and the fastest lap at Spielberg, that lead was extended to 11. Weiland currently has 50 points overall while Christian Kinch has 39 and Ernst Kirchmayr has totaled 38 thus far. The next race for EMS Race Team will be a Ferrari Challenge North American event at Watkins Glen on May 22-23 followed by Round 3 of the European series at Brno in the Czech Republic on May 29-30. During each and every event this season, Weiland and company will continue to race 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. 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 Austria follow EMS Race Team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
by Tara Pachmayer | Apr 28, 2021 | EMS Ferrari Challenge
EMS Race Team will be competing at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria during Round 2 of the Ferrari Challenge Europe on May 1-2. After pairing a victory at Monza with a P2 finish during Round 1 in Italy, EMS enters Austria as the points leader in class for the European series. Driver James Weiland and his team from Rossocorsa, R3 Motorsports and Ferrari of San Francisco will look for another positive result at Red Bull Ring while racing to help raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Inner Circle and Cornerstone of Hope.
The world-famous Red Bull Ring has hosted the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix for various stretches of time dating back to when it was first opened in 1970 under a different name along with several other high-profile races. The track has undergone a series of renovations since, along with multiple name changes before eventually being purchased by Red Bull. In July of 2013, the F1 Austrian Grand Prix returned to Spielberg after a hiatus and the marquee race has been hosted on the historic track ever since.
“Like we did in Italy, we feel grateful to be able to race and compete again as a team this weekend in Austria,” Weiland said. “We’re also looking forward to measuring ourselves at a great track like Red Bull Ring while competing against a talented field of drivers and giving it our best shot out there.”
EMS Race Team helped get the three charities they race to raise awareness for onto the podium last time out and look to do so again this weekend. 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. Each mission will be featured on EMS Race Team’s car throughout the trip to Spielberg.
“Over the last year especially, organizations like PETA, Coach Sam’s and Cornerstone have worked through several challenges to continue helping to support our communities,” Weiland added. “Our goal is to help shine any light we can on that by putting forth our best effort on the track in Austria.”
For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Races in Red Bull Ring, follow EMS Race Team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram .
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.
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