Kia plunges Forte Koup into racing

At the recent 2009 SEMA exhibition, Kia Motors America (KMA) has announced a partnership venture with the Kinetic Group to race two Kia Forte Koups in the 2010 GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge Series. Using the age-old auto industry marketing gimmick of ‘Race on Sunday, sell on Monday,’ the two Fortes will also have the task of helping Kia raise their brand profile significantly.

Michael Sprague, KMA’s Marketing VP, had this to say, ““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 Street Tuner (ST) class, in which the two Fortes will be racing in, is the domain of production-based cars. Competing vehicles are subject to weight and intake restrictions in order to maintain a level playing field for all. Additionally, this also implies substantial mechanical similarities between the cars going out onto the tracks, and the cars that Kia hopes to see you driving out of the showrooms.

KMA’s partner for the venture, the Kinetic Group, is an Atlanta-based outfit providing an array of in-house services which include fabrication, composites, paint, bodywork, engine and electronics. Their experience in motorsports include NASCAR, Indy Racing League, the American Le Mans Series and the GRAND-AM KONI Challenge Series.

Taking the cars to the track will be Nic Jonsson and Andy Lally in the main car, Car #10, with Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood at the helm of the team’s second 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.

Sprague further added, “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.”

Meanwhile, closer to home, our sources in Naza Kia has informed us that the Kia Forte is scheduled for launch in the Malaysian market shortly. Watch out as we bring you the latest updates. Stay tuned for that!

KON