Kinetic Kia Forte Koup Finishes In Top 10 At Kia 200

HOMESTEAD, Mar. 6, 2011: It was another exciting weekend for Kinetic Motorsports and Kia Motors America as the #10 Kia Forte Koup finished in the Top 10 at the “Kia 200” at the Homestead Miami Speedway. The pressure was on for the Kinetic team, as Kia was the title sponsor for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Challenge Series race today, and once again, the team did not disappoint.

Although the Kinetic team says that there is always room for improvement, the #10 Kia of Nic Jönsson and new co-driver Michael Galati drove a great race for the Kia fans. Galati qualified and started the car in the 11th position, then handed it over to Jönsson, who finished seventh in the Street Tuner (ST) class.

There were mixed feelings about the race results for the Kinetic team though. The#12 Kinetic Kia Forte Koup of drivers Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood started with Burrow’s best-ever qualifying in the seventh position. Unfortunately, less than 45 minutes into the race Burrow’s was hit from behind while going down a straightaway. The car sustained damage, and even after the hit, Burrows and co-driver Trevor Hopwood continued to keep pace with the race leader. However, the impact prevented the #12 Kia from a Top 10 finish after they lost three laps in a stellar pit stop by the Kinetic crew to put the car back together following the incident.

Michael Sprague, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Kia Motors America: "It was a fantastic day of racing for Kia Motors, and securing another top ten finish in a race in which Kia was the title sponsor was a special result for our company and our racing partner, Kinetic Motorsports. The first ever ‘Kia 200’ was full of drama and action, and it was a great way to welcome our new driver, Michael Galati, to the Kia team."

Nic Jönsson, driver, #10 Infinity Audio Forte Koup: “I think the #10 ran pretty decent, but we could not find the sweet spot this week. We had a tremendous amount of push in the car throughout the whole race, so to come home finishing seventh at a track that we didn’t really have big hopes for is great. We’ve said since the winter that if we had a Top 10 finish, we would be very happy. We got that, so we have to be happy, but you always have to look for improvements and I think there is more to come from this Kia.”

Michael Galati, driver, #10 Infinity Audio Forte Koup: “The race was quite good for me. The car was great and we picked up quite a bit of push. We did not have the speed at the straightaway, so everything we tried to make up was in braking and cornering. From all of the abuse on the tires, the car fell off a little bit. Considering the racetrack we had this weekend, we were happy with a Top 10 finish, because it was a tough race.” “My first race with Kinetic Motorsports was fantastic. They are a great group of people and I think we communicated very well. Both Nic and I like the same thing in the car so it should be very good. All of the guys did a fantastic job and had great preparation and I’m looking forward to the next race. I think we are going to keep improving from here. I’m very excited for the future.”

Russell Smith, owner, Kinetic Motorsports: “Following such a great qualifying effort by Adam Burrows, it was a disappointing race for Trevor and Adam in the #12 car. They were running extremely fast and their car was exactly the same pace as the #10, and once again, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The APR car went into the back of them and caused a couple of problems, which caused us to go down 2 laps. As far as the #10 car, we had another pleasant surprise and we will happily take that finishing position. We ended up with a strategy that worked well and the race came towards us and I think that with Michael settling in for his first race, he did an excellent job. He did exactly what he was supposed to and handed the car over in one piece, which allowed Nic to go on and start nibbling away to get up towards the front. We finished seventh at the ‘Kia 200’ at a track that we wouldn’t have expected to do very well. From a PR perspective, the Kia guys were really happy with what went on this weekend. Kia’s first effort at pacing a race and sponsoring a race went extremely well!”

Adam Burrows, driver, #12 Infinity Audio Forte Koup: "We had a great Kia Forte Koup today and I can't even begin to say how disappointed I am to get hit from behind and spun on a straightaway. I guess the APR guys can't really handle all that horsepower. The worst thing about it is that the car was so fantastic. I was running in the top five and just pacing myself in the early laps, trying to save the tires as much as I could. We really wanted to bring the Kia Motors guests a good result today and we absolutely had the car to do that. The next race at Barber is close to the Kia factory in West Point so we'll look to make up for this disappointment with a good finish there."

Trevor Hopwood, driver, #12 Infinity Audio Forte Koup: "We definitely had a strong car today, and I have no question that we'd have been fighting in the top five if Adam hadn't been hit. We were running times close to the leader even late in the race after the car sustained the damage from the hit. I, at least, had a blast before the race when we got to give hot laps to VIP's in the Kia Optima Turbo pace car. So at least the day started off on the right foot--hopefully we can avoid getting hit from behind at Barber because we've started the year off with that happening twice and it's so frustrating to have that happen when the car is so competitive like it has been. On to Barber!"

The SPEED TV broadcast of the “Kia 200” race is scheduled for March 19th at 2:00 PM ET.

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. More information can be found online at www.kssmotorsports.com, or on the Kinetic Motorsports fan page and group on Facebook. Follow Kinetic on Twitter @KSS Motorsports.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 730 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA." In 2010, KMA recorded its best-ever U.S. sales and 16th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.