Nic
Jönsson and co-driver Michael Galati Finish at the Top of the
Podium in the ST Class at Barber Motorsports Park
April 9, 2011 – BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA…With
Kia Motors America fans and factory team members looking on, the
#10 Infinity Audio Kia Forte Koup took the checkered flag in the
ST class at the Barber 200. After Michael Galati qualified the car
16th on Friday, the team was able to progressively move up in the
charts. It was an amazing weekend for the Kinetic Motorsports and
Kia Motors America, as this gave both Kia and Kinetic their first
professional racing win.
It was an all-around success for the Kinetic
team because the #12 car of Trevor Hopwood and Adam Burrows also
finished in the Top Ten at Barber. The Kias were both able to drive
a clean race, and brought success and excitement to the Kia supporters
from the local Kia plant in West Point, Georgia.
Nic Jönsson, driver, #10 Infinity Audio
Kia Forte Koup: “It’s all teamwork. The guys have been
working so hard. We got this car back in July 2009, and last year
was a building block year. We came out with a couple of Top 5 finishes
and we are pleased with that. We had a podium, second place, at
Daytona. The goal for this year was to have one or two podiums.
Now we have a victory and a second place in three races. I’m
quite emotional. To bring Kia to the top of the charts in one of
the toughest series in the world in less than two years…that
says a lot about the Kinetic Motorsports guys. They have been working
so hard and they keep digging. I couldn’t be happier and want
to say a big thank you to all the families of all the Kinetic employees
because they all sacrifice a lot for the team. We get to do all
the fun stuff, like driving. They get to work all the extra hours
to make sure the cars are right for us. Those guys are really the
ones who make it happen. This Kia car is unbelievable. It’s
so fantastic! I have to really thank Kia Motors America and everybody
else involved. I couldn’t be happier.”
Michael Galati, driver, #10 Infinity Audio
Kia Forte Koup: “It’s hard to express my feelings right
now. It’s fantastic for me. This is my second race with the
team and I’m very impressed with the guys, the organization,
and to be back in Grand-Am again. The car was really good and I
have to hand it to all the crew, Michael Sprague, Nic, and Kia Motors.
I used to run here a lot. We started the weekend bad because we
had some problems in practice. We only had about four laps before
qualifying. Once we started the race, we worked hard and then I
gave the car to Nic until the end. The win is fantastic. I want
to thank the Kinetic team and Kia Motors America for helping us,
I’m so proud to be part of this team. It’s great to
be back here winning again.”
Michael Sprague, Vice President of Marketing and Communications,
Kia Motors America: “All I can say is wow! It’s just
fantastic! The team just did a phenomenal job. Michael and Nic work
so well together. And Adam and Trevor do as well in terms of both
cars working well throughout the whole race. For the Kia brand,
this is huge. Kia in victory lane, number one, in first place is
just phenomenal!”
“We have a lot of Kia team members
here today because we’re so close to our plant down in West
Point, Georgia. The race team was actually at the plant earlier
this week. It generated a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. We’ve
got a lot of our local dealers here as well. Everyone is just thrilled
to pieces. We had one of our racecars visiting several of the dealers
this week and had lots of people coming in to see it. One dealer
said he sold four Forte Koups off of this so they’re really
excited. It’s really a big day for us.”
Russell Smith, owner, Kinetic Motorsports:
“It is the most fantastic day. The victory was a combination
of an enormous amount of hard work by a lot of people, and that’s
not just folks at Kinetic, but the folks at Kia, Michael Sprague,
Jay Joyer, and all of his team to help promote the series within
the company and believe in the power of motorsports to sell cars.
It was an incredible, incredible day. Everyone worked hard. The
#10 car crew was working on the engine until 5:00 a.m. It goes to
show that hard work really does pay off in the end. We are definitely
delighted and very proud of all we have achieved here for them.
A podium at Daytona and our first victory here at Barber, it doesn’t
get much better than that.”
Ed Hall, Team Manager, Kinetic Motorsports
“Today’s success was a team effort. The guys back at
the shop were able to be here to experience the victory we achieved
today. Everybody has just put so much into this program…from
December and January where they worked until 3:00 or 4:00 in the
morning, until today.”
“Even this weekend the guys stayed
from Thursday night until 5:00 o’clock Friday morning to be
sure the car was ready to go. Nic and Michael did a great job driving
and made no mistakes and did what they had to do and took care of
the car. The pit stops were just phenomenal. I’m not sure
what the times were on them, but you turned around and the car was
going back out of the Pit Box. All the practice and the hard work
of the engine guys, the fabrication guys, the machine shop, and
the guys in the race shop is fantastic.”
Adam Burrows, driver, #12 Infinity Audio
Kia Forte Koup:
“Today is for sure all about Kia getting their first professional
win. It’s huge for the manufacturer and a big thank you goes
out to everybody at Kia Motors America. A big congratulation also
goes out to Nic and Michael. Trevor and I definitely didn’t
have our best weekend ever, we definitely struggled with the understeer
and oversteer of the car and just couldn’t really get the
car underneath us. We hung in there and got a Top Ten and it is
certainly gratifying, in particular since this is the first race
this season where we finished on the lead lap. So another big thank
you goes out to all the crew and Kia, and a big congratualtions
to the rest of the team for the win.”
Trevor Hopwood, driver, #12 Infinity Audio
Kia Forte Koup: "Congrats to the whole Kinetic team and Kia
Motors America. Nic and Michael did a great job, they just stuck
to it all weekend and it paid off. Adam and I, however, struggled
this weekend. I’m happy we came out of here with a Top Ten
finish. It was a big tire conservation race, I did my best to save
the rears for Adam, because all we did during the pit stop was change
fronts. Adam hung in there at the end and kept it in the Top Ten,
and did a really great job. We have three really good tracks coming
up for us, so hopefully it will be our turn on the podium.”
About Kinetic Group Kinetic is an automotive
group that includes Kinetic Motorsports, Kinetic-Sunbelt Engines,
and Kinetic Speed Shop. Kinetic Motorsports taps into every aspect
of professional and amateur racing, from car builds to prep and
trackside support. Every resource needed to develop, manage and
run a professional race team in any series is located on-site. Kinetic-Sunbelt
Engines have powered amateur and professional racers to numerous
championships in North America. Kinetic Speed Shop caters to aftermarket
street performance. Kinetic's 42,000 square foot, state-of-the-art
showroom and race complex is located in Buford, Georgia, just 15
minutes from Road Atlanta. More information can be found online
at www.kssmotorsports.com, or on the Kinetic Motorsports fan page
and group on Facebook. Follow Kinetic on Twitter @KSS Motorsports.
About Kia Motors America Kia Motors America
(KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation
based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles
through more than 730 dealers throughout the United States and serves
as the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA." In 2010,
KMA recorded its best-ever
U.S. sales and 16th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share.
Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build
the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features
and new technologies.
Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up
is available at its Web site – www.kia.com. For media information,
including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.