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Motorsports
Kia Motors to Make U.S. Auto Racing Debut at Daytona.
Kia Motors America (KMA) and Kinetic Group has prepped two Forte Koup race cars for the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
Kia Motors Made U.S. Racing Debut
January 29, 2010 – Kia Motors made its U.S. racing debut in late-January with two Kia Forte Koup race cars that were prepped and campaigned by Kinetic Motorsport of Buford, Georgia. The historic event took place at the legendary Daytona International Speedway, and from the moment the Kia Koups touched the tarmac at the fabled Speedway the cars began operating a lot of buzz in the paddock. Competitors and fans alike stopped by to see the immaculately prepared Koups, the newest entries into the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series, and the positive comments and feedback the Kia racing team received made their long hours of vehicle building, testing and prep worth the effort.
In their debut event, the Fresh From Florida 200, the Kia Koups demonstrated that these Kias will be important cars to watch as the season unfolds. Although the Koups were saddled with incorrect gear ratios for Daytona’s high-speeds, both card were nevertheless competitive from the first practice run through race day and demonstrated superb handling and excellent terminal speed.
Car #12 driven by Trevor Hopwood and Adam Burrows – the 2007 ST series champions – had accumulated the most pre-race test miles and proved its reliability by gaining twelve positions and finishing in the top twenty. Car #10, which was completed just hours before it was scheduled to leave for Daytona, had not surprisingly, teething problems and was unable to complete the race after retiring at the 50-minute mark. Still, car #10 was able to provide race fans worldwide great images of the race from its roof mounted and in-car SPEED TV cameras before returning to the paddock, including an incredible in-cockpit view of its hood flying off in excess of 13 mph and taking out both the windshield and roof camera during a practice session prior to the race.
The series resumes with the second event of the 2010 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, March 5-6. The team has taken the lessons learned from Daytona and continued refining the cars. Before the Kia Koups hit the track in Miami, Kinetic Motorsports is conducting more testing with both vehicles to ensure they run faster than ever and further Kia’s “Power to Surprise.”
Upcoming Races
2010 Event Schedule
| Date | Event | Venue | Location | Track Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 8 - 10 | January Test Days at Daytona | Daytona International Speedway | Daytona Beach, FL | 3.56-mile, 12-turn speedway road course |
| January 28 - 29 | Fresh From Florida 200 | Daytona International Speedway | Daytona Beach, FL | 3.56-mile, 12-turn speedway road course |
| March 5 - 6 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | Homestead Miami Speedway | Homestead, FL | 2.3-mile, 11-turn speedway road course |
| April 8 - 10 | Barber Motorsports Park | Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, Alabama | 2.3-mile, 16-turn road course |
| April 23 - 24 | Virginia International Raceway | Virginia International Raceway | Alton, VA | 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course |
| May 28 - 29 | Lime Rock Park | Lime Rock Park | Lakeville, CT | 1.53-mile, 7-turn road course |
| June 4 - 5 | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen International - Long Course | Watkins Glen, NY | 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course |
| June 18 - 19 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, OH | 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course |
| July 16 - 17 | New Jersey Motorsports Park | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Millville, NJ | 2.25-mile road course |
| August 13 | Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres | Circuit Trois-Rivieres | Trois-Rivieres, Quebec | 1.521-mile, 10-turn road course |
| September 10 - 11 | Miller Motorsports Park | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, UT | 4.486-mile, 24-turn road course |
Motorsports Team
Nic Jonsson
Nic Jonsson made his first professional start in 1989 and was the Scandinavian Formula 3 champion in 1990 and 1991. In 1992 he won the Scandinavian Touring Car title and finished second in the European Formula 3 cup.
Andy Lally
In the last seven years, driver Andy Lally has three professional championships – 2006, 2004 and 2001 GRAND-AM Sports Car Series – and recently won the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GT class.
Adam Burrows
Burrows won the Continental Tire Sports Car Championship with co-driver Trevor Hopwood in his Rookie season. After making the move to front wheel drive machinery in 2008, his race wins made him a threat in the championship battle as he closed out the year second in the year-end standings.
Trevor Hopwood
Trevor Hopwood was born with racing in his blood, launching from karts and formula car competition to earn his stripes in Spec Racers before moving up to run in the high-horsepower GT-1 ranks.
