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Kia Forte Koup to be
raced in the USA
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Kia
 9th
November, 2009
"One Hot Ride", the US motto of
the all-new 2010 Kia Forte Koup
(known as 'Cerato' in Australia) has
taken on a new meaning after Kia Motors America (KMA) unveiled its US
motorsports program at the 2009 SEMA Show in Los Angeles, California.
Kia Motors America has teamed with the Kinetic Group to build
and
campaign two Forte Koups in the 2010 GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge
Series in the Street Tuner (ST) class.
"The Forte Koup is the latest
chapter in the dramatic Kia brand
transformation story, and the decision
to enter into the
motorsports arena was an easy one to make," said
Michael Sprague, Vice President of Marketing, KMA. "The Forte Koup's
performance-inspired styling and outstanding driving dynamics make it a
natural fit for road racing, and competing in GRAND-AM's KONI Challenge
Series enables us to reach an entirely new and passionate base of automotive
enthusiasts."
The GRAND-AM KONI Challenge Street Tuner (ST) class
utilizes production-based race cars and has a wide variety of vehicles from
the US, Europe and Asia, using weight and intake restrictions to maintain a
level playing field for all entrants.
"We researched every form of
auto racing in the US to find a fan base that was aligned with our target
demographics, and found GRAND-AM to be the perfect fit," said Sprague.
"In addition to working with the Kinetic Group, we are also proud that
Infinity Audio, whose high-end audio systems are offered in several Kia
vehicles, will join us as the Official Sponsor of the #10 Infinity Kia Forte
Koup Race Car during our inaugural motorsports season."
As part of
its motorsports team development, KMA identified and partnered with the
Kinetic Group to develop, build and campaign two Forte Koup KONI Challenge
spec cars. Based outside of Atlanta, Kinetic provides a comprehensive array
of in-house services, including fabrication, composites, paint and body,
engine and
electronics departments. Kinetic's staff of engineers,
mechanics and crew have extensive race experience in many series, including
NASCAR, Indy Racing League, the American Le Mans Series and the GRAND-AM
KONI Challenge Series.
Completing the team, decorated drivers Nic
Jönsson and Andy Lally have been secured to drive the #10 Infinity Kia Forte
Koup entry in the GRAND-AM KONI Challenge Series in 2010. Joining Jönsson
and Lally are Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood, past KONI ST champions to
pilot the second team race car.
 "We
expect the Forte Koup to be a strong competitor in the GRAND-AM KONI
Challenge Series starting with the first race in Daytona, and the fact that
drivers of Nic and Andy's caliber along with Adam and Trevor have joined the
team reinforces that expectation," said Sprague. "Building on our
involvement in the GRAND-AM KONI Challenge Series and in an effort to
introduce the Kia brand to even more racing fans, apparel maker GoGoGear.com
has created a highly modified version of the popular Soul urban passenger
vehicle which will serve as the official pace car at several races
throughout the 2010 US Touring Car Championship (USTCC)
season."
About the Drivers
Nic Jönsson 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.
Jönsson has raced
touring cars, sports cars and Indy cars all over the world and has competed
in the American Le Mans series as well as the SPEED World Challenge Touring
car series. Jönsson, who is a highly sought-after test and development
driver, scored his first GRAND-AM victory in 2005 at the Six Hours at The
Glen.
Outside sports car racing, Jönsson has trained the Swedish
royal family and secret-service agents in high-performance and self-defense
driving. A native of Sweden, Jönsson is the co-founder and owner of Kinetic
Speed Shop.
In the last seven years, driver Andy Lally has three
professional championships - 2006, 2004 and 2001 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car
Series - and recently won the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GT class.
In addition to three Championships and two Rolex 24 wins, Lally
currently holds the record for most top 3 and top 5 finishes in GRAND-AM
Rolex Series history as well as the record for most podium finishes in a
single season. He is third on the all time win list and the only three-time
Rolex Series Champion. Lally also has stock
car racing experience,
including the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Craftsman Trucks, ARCA and Goodies
Dash.
A past champion in the KONI ST series, Adam Burrows had years
of Spec Racer competition under his belt before deciding to move up to the
highly competitive Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge, winning the ST Class
Championship in his rookie season.
Meanwhile, Trevor Hopwood had
racing in his blood after earning his stripes as a winner in Spec Racers.
Hopwood moved up to run in GT-1 before taking on the endurance format of
KONI Challenge. The New
Hampshire resident won the championship in his
rookie year, and backed that up with two wins and another strong result in
the championship the next season, his first year of racing a front-wheel
drive machine.
About Kinetic Group:
Kinetic is an automotive
group that includes Kinetic Motorsports, Kinetic-Sunbelt Engines, and
Kinetic Speed Shop. Kinetic Motorsports taps into every aspect of
professional and amateur racing, from car builds to prep and trackside
support. Every resource needed to develop, manage and run a professional
race team in any series is located on-site. Kinetic-Sunbelt Engines have
powered amateur and professional racers to numerous
championships in
North America. Kinetic Speed Shop caters to aftermarket street performance.
Kinetic's 42,000 square foot, state-of-the-art showroom and race complex is
located in Buford, Georgia, just 15 minutes from Road Atlanta.
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