ROAD & TRACK GETS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE KIA OPTIMA TURBO
From our very first race in 2010 to our 2014 Pirelli World Championship title, Kia Racing and Kinetic Motorsports continue to showcase unwavering commitment to improved performance and innovative design. And others are taking notice.
This past September, Road & Track took the Kia Optima Turbo out for a drive on their Motown Mile airport course. And the championship-winning vehicle proved impressive once again. Road & Track commended the car’s cornering and described the shifter as “gloriously mechanical and satisfying.” Dubbed a “snorting, popping 368-hp perception changer,” the Optima Turbo clocked both the fastest lap of the day at 52.42 seconds and the fastest time ever recorded at the circuit.
KIA RACING DRIVER AND TORONTO-NATIVE MARK WILKINS SCORES FIRST PLACE ON HIS HOME TURF TORONTO
Ontario, Canada, July 21, 2014 – Mark Wilkins’ performance this past weekend at the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge (PWC)—in his hometown of Toronto, no less—was nothing short of thrilling. Day one of the doubleheader landed Wilkins in fourth place, with the No. 36 turbocharged Optima, after the ninth round. In Sunday’s round 10, with determined focus and a cool head, Wilkins set the fastest lap of the race and earned the top step of the podium, marking his first-career win at his home track and a return to top Driver Championship standing.
The Kia Racing team now leads the GTS Manufacturer Championship by an impressive seven points.
KIA RACING BECOMES FIRST KOREAN CAR COMPANY TO WIN TWO PWC MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tooele, Utah, September 13, 2014 – In a gripping doubleheader showdown this past weekend, Kia Racing captures its first-ever Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) Grand Touring Sport (GTS) Manufacturer Championship and Touring Car A (TC-A) Manufacturer Championship. The PWC finale was held at Miller Motorsportspark in Toole, Utah, as Kia went head to head against Ford in the GTS class—beating out Chevrolet, Porsche, Nissan, and Aston Martin.
Ending the season with 5 race wins, 13 podium finishes, and 22 top-ten finishes, Kia Racing secured the GTS championship with outstanding performances by Mark Wilkins, No. 38 B.R.A.K.E.S. Optima turbo driver, and Nic Jönsson, pilot of No. 36 DonorsChoose.org Optima turbo. Also scoring big this season was rookie Jason Wolfe, driver of the No. 36 Richard Wolfe Trucking Kia Forte Koup, whose impressive performance earned Kia the TC-A Manufacturer Championship and Wolfe the TC-A Driver Championship.
KIA RACING RECLAIMS MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH A ONE-TWO FINISH
Elkhart Lake, Wis., June 23, 2014 – It was a successful doubleheader debut for Kia Racing this week, as Nic Jönsson scored back-to-back wins in rounds seven and eight of the Pirelli World Challenge. In round seven alone, Jönsson took the lead in the first lap with teammate Mark Wilkins following behind him. Wilkins posted the fasted lap of the race, and the duo scored a one-two victory—Kia’s first since 2012.
The Kia Racing team now leads the GTS Manufacturer Championship ahead of Ford, Porsche, Chevrolet, Nissan, and Aston Martin.
KIA RACING MAINTAINS POINTS LEAD IN GRAND TOURING SPORT (GTS) MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
Detroit, Mich., June 3, 2014 – Kia Racing took to the mean streets of Belle Isle for rounds five and six of the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC). The outcome? Back-to-back podium finishes that secure Kia’s present point lead in the GTS Manufacturer Championship ahead of Ford, Porsche, and Chevrolet. Mark Wilkins, driver of the No. 38 B.R.A.K.E.S. Optima Turbo, is currently in second with two top-five finishes, while Nic Jönsson, in the No. 36 DonorsChoose.org Optima Turbo, is currently in fourth with a strong third-place finish this past Saturday. Up next: rounds seven and eight at Road America.
KIA RACING FINISHES FIRST AND SECOND IN ROUNDS THREE AND FOUR OF THE PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE
Birmingham, Ala., April 27, 2014 – Kia Racing duo Mark Wilkins and Nick Jönsson have done it again, scoring back-to-back podium finishes in rounds three and four of the Pirelli World Challenge at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. Wilkins took a pivotal lead late in the round-three race and came out victorious with the win. Jönsson followed with a strong second-place finish in the fourth round.
The Kia Racing team now leads the Manufacturer Championship standings ahead of Porsche, Ford, and Chevy. And in an impressive debut, Rookie Jason Wolfe scored his first podium finish in the Touring Car A class with our #36 Richard Wolfe Trucking Kinetic Motorsports Forte Koup.
KIA RACING PARTNER, KINECTIC MOTOSPORTS, MAKES HISTORY AT THE PWC TOURING CAR A DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP IN CANADA
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, May 20, 2014 – This weekend, Kinectic Motorsports, Kia’s racing partner in the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC), scored big with three podium finishes in the PWC Touring Car A (TC-A) class at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP). Among the finishes were the first two wins for a new pair of privately entered Forte Koups, driven by series rookie Jason Wolfe and Russell Smith.
Piloting the No. 36 Richard Wolfe Trucking Forte Koup, Wolfe scored victories in rounds two and three, with a second-place finish in round four. Wolfe currently leads in TC-A Driver Championship points, while Kia tops the Manufacturer ranking. Smith, owner and driver of the No. 38 Korean Air Forte Koup, rounded out the weekend with three strong top-five finishes of his own.
KIA RACING WINS ROUND TWO OF PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE ON THE STREETS OF LONG BEACH
Long Beach, Calif., April 13, 2014 – It was a triumphant return for Kia Racing, as the team scored its first win of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) on the streets of Long Beach. Drivers Nic Jönsson and Mark Wilkins took first and third in round two of the 16-race season, the “Roar by the Shore Presented by Kia.” With our U.S. headquarters just a few miles away in Irvine, more than 200 team members showed up to cheer them on.
KIA RACING TREKS WEST FOR ROUND THREE OF THE PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE IN LONG BEACH
St. Petersburg, Fla., March 30, 2014 – The season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. proved fruitful for the team. After a hard fight for double top-ten finishes for our #36 and #38 Optimas, Kia Racing has gained momentum with a fourth-place standing in the manufacturer’s championship.
