CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THE LINE FOR KIA RACING IN PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE SEASON FINALE AT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK
Kia and Ford Battle for Pirelli World Challenge Grand Touring Sport (GTS) Manufacturer Title While Optima Pilot Mark Wilkins Leads Driver Championship With Two Races To Go
- Kia leads Manufacturer Championship by eight points with a maximum of 20 points available in season-ending doubleheader
- No. 38 B.R.A.K.E.S. Optima turbo driver Mark Wilkins leads GTS Driver Championship by 80 points, locked in three-way battle for title
- Nic Jönsson, pilot of No. 36 DonorsChoose.org Optima turbo, currently fifth in Driver Championship chase
Irvine, Calif., September 10, 2014 – After 14 races, 13 podiums and five race wins, Kia Racing is within sight of two Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) championships as the series wraps up the 2014 season with one final doubleheader at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, this weekend. The Grand Touring Sport (GTS) Manufacturer Championship will end in a showdown between Kia and Ford as rivals Chevrolet, Porsche, Nissan and Aston Martin all have been mathematically eliminated. Meanwhile, Kia Racing’s Mark Wilkins, pilot of the No. 38 B.R.A.K.E.S. Optima turbo, leads the GTS Driver Championship by 80 points and is locked in a tense three-way battle for the Driver Championship.
“With all the success we’ve experienced, it’s been a great year for Kia. But everyone on the team is aware that a lot can happen during a weekend of racing, especially when championships are on the line,” said Wilkins, who has six podiums, including two wins, this season. “We have a job to do, and I’m confident in the package we’re bringing to Miller Motorsports Park. I know we’ll represent Kia well.”
Finishing its 25th anniversary season, PWC returns to Miller Motorsports Park for the first time since 2012, when the Kia Racing team, in the midst of its rookie season in the series, scored its first double-podium finish. On the strength of that performance and the knowledge that the flowing, high-speed, 3.048-mile, 15-turn circuit seems to suit the powerful and aerodynamic turbocharged Optimas, the team comes back to Utah with confidence.
“We’ve worked hard all season to be in the position we’re in,” said Jönsson, who has scored seven podiums, including three wins, during an up-and-down season. “We know anything can happen, but we are preparing as we would for any other race and are confident that we will be competitive. Earning Kia its first Manufacturer Championship has been our goal since the season began earlier this year, and we’re hoping to achieve that goal this weekend.”
Rounds 15 and 16 at Miller Motorsports Park take place Friday, September 12, and at 6:50 p.m. ET and Saturday, September 13, at 4:15 p.m. ET, respectively. NBC Sports Network will air the televised coverage of the PWC GTS season finale on Sunday, September 28, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Fans can also watch live streaming online at www.world-challengetv.com, and race fans can keep up-to-date with the team via the Kia Racing Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kiaracing and by following along on Twitter: @KiaRacing.
About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA proudly serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA and surpassed the 500,000 annual sales mark for the second consecutive year in 2013 following the launch of seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles, including the rear-drive K900** flagship sedan, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door subcompacts and the Sedona minivan, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States. Kia’s U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, builds the Optima* and Sorento* and is responsible for the creation of more than 14,000 plant and supplier jobs.
Information about KMA and its full vehicle line-up is available at www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.