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Kia Sportage Wins Off-Road Racing Championship

24 November 1997

Kia Sportage Wins Off-Road Racing Championship; Five Wins Lead to Class 3 Title in SCORE Desert Championship Series

    IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 24 -- In its inaugural season, the Kia
Sportage won the Class 3 championship of the 1997 SCORE Desert Championship
Series last week, winning five of the seven races.
    The Sportage, prepared by Don-A-Vee Motorsports and driven by Darren
Skilton, was one of just 13 vehicles to finish every mile of every race in
1997.
    "That's 2,400 race miles," Skilton pointed out, "and, for a first-year
effort, to achieve that milestone is very satisfying."
    The Kia Sportage competed in the Class 3 category for short wheel-based
sport-utility vehicles.  Its key competitors were the Nissan Pathfinder, Chevy
Blazer, Isuzu Amigo, Ford Bronco and Jeep CJ-7.  The Sportage's win in this
category is significant given its 4-cylinder DOHC engine competed against the
other vehicles' V6 and V8 engines.
    The season began in January with a second-place finish in the Parker 400.
The Sportage then peeled off five straight wins, including the Baja 500, and
finished the year with another second place in the Baja 1000.
    "Even though we didn't win the Baja 1000, it was a dream season," Skilton
said.  "We had two goals this year -- win the Class 3 championship and finish
every mile of every race -- and we accomplished both with a lot of hard work."
    Kia Motors America is the sales, marketing and distribution arm of Kia
Motors Corp. in Seoul, South Korea.

SOURCE  Kia Motors America