On the weekend of April 9, at the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner class race in Birmingham, Alabama, Kia Motors claimed their first-ever motorsport victory. That's quite a feat, considering 2011 marks only the second year Kia has been involved in the motorsport program.
"After starting the year with two top-10 results and our first podium finish, we arrived at Barber Motorsports Park with high expectations and our sights set on earning Kia's first-ever victory," said Michael Sprague, VP Marketing & Communications, Kia Motors America. "With the proximity to Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, the Barber race was a bit of a homecoming for us, and the efforts of Michael and Nic and the entire Kinetic Motorsports crew led to this tremendous milestone. Notching our first win with a large number of Kia team members and dealers cheering us on made the result even more memorable."1
The two drivers responsible for driving Kia to its lauded win are Michael Galati and Nic Jönsson. Following the race, Jönsson paid homage to the entire Kia team. "It's nearly unheard of for a second-year racing program to stand on top of the podium, and today was a special day for Kia Motors and Kinetic Motorsports," he said. "It's even better that we were able to deliver our first win with so many Kia dealers and team members from the plant here, and this result would not have been possible without the tireless efforts and commitment from every member of our racing team."2
Interested in more Kia news? Stay tuned. Bald Hill Kia, located at 1021 Bald Hill Rd. Warwick, RI 02886, is dedicated to keeping you informed.
Source: 1,2 http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/13/kia-captures-first-ever-motorsports-victory/
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