EMS Race Team turned in their finest performance of the season during the Ferrari Challenge World Finals in Italy. While competing at the Mugello Circuit against the best Ferrari Challenge drivers in the world, James Weiland and his crew from Ferrari of San Francisco dominated the weekend with a staggering three victories in three races. The clean sweep began with a Race 1 win on Friday and closed with a P1 finish in the World Championships on Sunday. ERIN the Electronic Merchant Systems Ferrari 488 Challenge was simply unstoppable throughout the trip while earning high praise from longtime Ferrari Challenge coach Conrad Grunewald.
“This is my 19th year in this industry and I’ve never seen such a dominant display of driving in this series,” Grunewald said on Sunday. “Three wins in an incredibly stacked field, including the World Championship race with all the drivers from around the world combined. Incredible job by Jim Weiland.”
During Race 1, Weiland was able to pass a few cars at the start and managed to snatch the lead exiting the Turn 1 hairpin. After that, ERIN did the rest on her way to the first victory of the weekend. Following a second win in Race 2, Weiland and ERIN saved one of their best passes of the season for last. While appearing destined for a second-place finish in the World Championships, ERIN made a move on the final lap that secured her third victory at Mugello and sixth on the year overall.
“A multi-car collision at the start shuffled the pack by knocking many cars out of contention, including those on the front rows such as poleman Ken Abe (Formula Racing),” Ferrari wrote in recapping the World Championship race. “Tani Hanna (Formula Racing) took advantage of this to jump into the lead, followed by James Weiland. The pair outpaced the group and started to pull away. The result appeared a foregone conclusion, but Weiland pulled out all the stops in the last lap. He passed Hanna and then repelled his attacks, to cross the line in first.”
EMS Race Team had already won at Bahrain, Le Mans and Nürburgring this season with the three victories at Mugello making a half-dozen P1 finishes in 2019. The relentless performance helped highlight the charities that EMS Race Team races to raise awareness for at the highest profile event on the Ferrari Challenge calendar. This was something that was especially rewarding for Weiland and his team while closing out the 2019 campaign on top.
“It was really special for us to be able to help raise awareness for PETA Cruelty Free, Coach Sam’s Inner Circle and Cornerstone of Hope at the Ferrari Challenge World Finals in Italy with three victories,” Weiland added. “Everyone on the team contributed to our success out on the track. I couldn’t be more proud of the group from Ferrari of San Francisco, R3 Motorsports and Rossorcorsa. The whole team did everything they could all weekend long and that’s why we ended up on the top step in three-straight races.”
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.
EMS Race Team entered the final weekend in Italy with seven podium finishes on the year—the same total they finished the season with in 2018. But they’d leave the Mugello Circuit with 10 podiums during a 2019 Ferrari Challenge circuit in which they raced in 10 different countries. For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Ferrari Challenge World Finals in Italy as well as throughout the many memorable stops during the 2019 circuit, be sure to follow EMS Race Team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
