Kia Racing Ready To Make Its Southern California Debut On The Streets Of Long Beach

Two Turbocharged Optimas To Compete Just Up the Freeway From Kia's U.S. Corporate Headquarters in Round Three of the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge Championships - No. 36 Infinity Audio Optima driven by Michael Galati is coming off two top-10 finishes in debut performance at the season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. - Large contingent of Kia Motors America (KMA) employees and guests expected from nearby corporate campus in Irvine, Calif., for Kia Racing's first "Hometown" event

After recording a pair of top-10 finishes in their racing debut in St. Petersburg last month, Kia Racing's two Infinity Audio-sponsored Optimas are heading west to take on the demanding temporary street circuit in Long Beach, Calif., for round three of the Pirelli World Challenge Championships (PWC) on Sunday, April 15. The Long Beach event marks the first "Hometown" race for Kia's third-year U.S. motorsports program and the first opportunity for the hundreds of KMA employees and guests, who work at the company's nearby headquarters in Irvine, Calif., to see in-person the racing Optimas as they compete in the Grand Touring Sport (GTS) class.

"Adding the Optima to our motorsports program was a major undertaking, and our top 10 finishes in the first two rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge Championships are the result of a lot of hard work and dedication from our partner Kinetic Motorsports and the whole Kia Racing team," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "With its proximity to our headquarters, we've had the Long Beach date circled on our calendars almost since we announced Kia's entry in World Challenge, and we are excited to host nearly 200 team members and guests at the event, showcasing our commitment to the team and our growing enthusiasm for motorsports."

The 11-turn, 1.9-mile "concrete canyon" that is the Grand Prix of Long Beach circuit will test the handling of the Optimas and the patience and skill of Kia drivers Michael Galati and Colin Braun, but the tremendous torque from the Optima's turbocharged gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine should offer an advantage to pull out of the tight corners during the 50-minute sprint race at Long Beach.

Round three of the 2012 PWC season on the streets of Long Beach takes place on Sunday, April 15 at 7:15 p.m. ET. Check out live race status, photos and updates at facebook.com/kiaracing, and watch live streaming race coverage at world-challengetv.com. Race fans can also tune in for television coverage on the NBC Sports Network on Sunday, April 29 at 3 p.m. ET. (Time and date subject to change. Check local listings).

SOURCE: marketwatch.com