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Racecar Driver Takes PETA’s Cruelty-Free Bunnies to the Podium

Racecar driver and animal pal Jim Weiland finishes first at the Ferrari Challenge North America—PETA style.

When racecar driver and proud PETA supporter Jim Weiland gets behind the wheel, it’s not just the finish line that he sets his sights on—he also drives to help animals. At this year’s Ferrari Challenge North America in Austin, Texas, Jim and his Ferrari—decked out in PETA’s cruelty-free bunny logo—won both of the event’s two races while spreading the word about the horrors of experimenting on animals.

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Besides edging out celebrity competitor Robert Herjavec from Shark Tank in both races, Jim’s PETA-logoed Ferrari had the crowd at the Circuit of the Americas track asking, “What’s with the bunnies?”As a longtime PETA pal, Jim was more than happy to provide an answer:

“I’ve had the PETA cruelty-free bunnies featured on my car ever since I first started racing last season,” Weiland says. “It’s something that means a lot to me. During most race weekends, people will ask me about it—what are those bunnies, what do they represent? I’m always glad to explain. This weekend, though, after two first-place finishes, I was getting a lot more of those bunny questions [laughs]. … So we’re looking forward to doing all we can to get the bunnies on the podium at our next race, which is the Ferrari Challenge World Finals at Yas Marina Circuit”—which is being held in Abu Dhabi from December 3 through December 6.

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Jim knows that rabbits and other animals who are subjected to cruel product tests have harsh substances forced down their throats, rubbed into their raw and abraded skin, or dripped into their eyes—often without any pain relief. These archaic tests are banned in the European Union, Israel, and India. And even though testing cosmetics on animals isn’t required in the U.S., some companies continue to conduct these cruel tests.

More than 1,500 cruelty-free companies have pledged to use only non-animal testing methods. You can find these companies listed on PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies website, where you can also order a free copy of PETA’s cruelty-free shopping guide to ensure that your dollars never fund cruelty to animals.