Kia Racing Maintains Pirelli World Challenge Championship Lead Following Top-Five Finishes At Sonoma Raceway Doubleheader

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kia Racing showcased championship-caliber grit and determination in rounds 13 and 14 of the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) at Sonoma Raceway, keeping Kia atop the Grand Touring Sport (GTS) Manufacturer Championship with a pair of hard-fought, top-five finishes.  With only two races remaining in the 16-race PWC season, Kia currently leads the title fight by an eight-point margin. Among rivals Ford, Chevrolet, Porsche, Nissan and Aston Martin, only Kia and Ford are mathematically still in the hunt.  Meanwhile, Kia Racing pilot Mark Wilkins' pair of fourth-place finishes at Sonoma set up a dramatic three-way battle for the GTS Driver Championship among Kia's Wilkins, Lawson Aschenbach (Camaro) and Jack Baldwin (Porsche), which will be decided at the season finale doubleheader at Miller Motorsports Park September 12-13.

"We gave it all we had in Sonoma and wound up with two fourth-place finishes in the No. 38 B.R.A.K.E.S. Optima turbo. The circuit was slick, and we never found a setup that would allow us to stay with the leaders, but the most important thing is that Kia is still leading the Manufacturer points," said Wilkins. "While we'd always prefer to have a bigger lead, we feel pretty good about the upcoming finale at Miller Motorsports Park. I'm proud of the work that Kia Racing and the Kinetic Motorsport crew did to put us in this position and looking forward to the last two races of the season."

Located just outside Salt Lake City in Tooele, Utah, Miller Motorsports Park features a fast, free-flowing layout that has been a good fit for Kia's turbocharged Optimas in the past.  In Kia Racing's rookie PWC season in 2012, the team scored its first podium finishes in the series at Miller with a memorable second and third-place result.

NBC Sports Network will air the televised coverage of rounds 13 and 14 from Sonoma Raceway on Saturday, August 30, at 1:00 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[1] 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 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/20140829/141563

SOURCE Kia Motors America