Kia Racing Scores Back-To-Back Podium Finishes In Rounds Five And Six Of Pirelli World Challenge At Detroit Belle Isle

IRVINE, Calif., June 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kia Racing earned back-to-back podium finishes in the Motor City this weekend on the mean Streets of Belle Isle in rounds five and six of the Pirelli World Challenge.  Now with six podium appearances in 2014, including two victories, Kia maintains the GTS Manufacturer Championship points lead ahead of rivals Ford, Porsche and Chevrolet heading to Road America for rounds seven and eight.  At Belle Isle, Mark Wilkins piloted the No. 38 B.R.A.K.E.S. Optima turbo to two top-five finishes, including a podium on Sunday, which puts him only one point behind the GTS Driver standings leader, Jack Baldwin.  Teammate Nic Jonsson in the No. 36 DonorsChoose.org Optima turbo finished in third place Saturday and is currently fourth in the Driver Championship.

"Finishing on the podium two more times in Detroit is a great accomplishment for the Kia Racing team and is a testament to the durability and performance of the Kia Optima racecars on the demanding street circuit," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Kia Motors America (KMA).  "The hard work and dedication by our race team and tremendous focus and talent of our drivers is proving to be a winning formula for 2014 and we look forward to more success throughout the Pirelli World Challenge season."

The doubleheader weekend in Motown was only half of the on-track action for Kia Racing as the Kinetic Motorsports privateer Kia Forte Koups were also competing in Touring Car A (TC-A) on the east coast at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP).  TC-A points leader and rookie, Jason Wolfe, piloted the No. 36 Richard Wolfe Trucking Kinetic Motorsports Kia Forte Koup to a pair of fourth-place finishes.  His performance bolsters Kia's position atop the TC-A Manufacturer Championship standings after six rounds.

Televised coverage of GTS rounds five and six from Belle Isle will air on the NBC Sports Network on Sunday, June 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET.  Race fans can watch live coverage of all four races online at www.world-challengetv.com and catch the latest news and updates from the Kia Racing Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kiaracing and follow the team 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[1], 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 sub-compacts and the Sedona midsize multi-purpose vehicle, 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.

*The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX, SX & Limited and certain LX Trims only) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

[1] 2015 K900 V8 available in select trims and in select markets with limited availability.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140602/93445 

SOURCE Kia Motors America