CAIRO, Egypt, January 23, 2000 - Kia Motors America's two Sportages, part of the only American team entered in the grueling Paris-Dakar-Cairo 2000, finished the event despite the rigors of eighteen days across the North African desert and the threat of terrorist violence. Curt LeDuc of Cherry Valley, Calif., and Darren Skilton of Long Beach, Calif., completed the race in 41st and 56th place, respectively.

Not only did the Kia team have to battle the elements for more than 4,000 miles of off-road racing, against some of the world's toughest competitors, they also had to contend with the emotional strain of terrorist activity in Niger. The entire rally was airlifted to the relatively safe haven of Libya where the race continued.

Though competing against vehicles with much greater horsepower, the Sportages were still able to finish in the top 40 percent of the car class. Only 95 of the original 138 car entries that began the rally in Dakar, Senegal crossed the finish line in Cairo.

"Being able to finish the toughest off-road rally in the world was a dream come true," said Skilton, three-time SCORE Class 3 champion. "Even though the course tested every bit of our preparations, the Kia Sportages performed flawlessly."

Kia Motors America is the U.S. sales, marketing and service arm of Kia Motors Corp. in Seoul, South Korea.

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