Kia in 1999 SCORE

A Kia Sportage again won its class in the 1999 SCORE desert racing series, making it three years in a row. Kia reports that Darren Skilton's 4x4 finished the year by winning its class (SWB 4WD SUV) in the Baja 1000, taking 21 hours 21 minutes; a Nissan Pathfinder was second and an Isuzu VehiCross third. The Kia achieved five first places and one second (in class) in 1999's six races.

This success encouraged Kia to enter two Sportages in the January 2000 Dakar - Cairo offroad rally, the world's toughest. (A prototype Sportage was entered in the 1993 Dakar.)

• Race Car:
• wheelbase: 2650mm (104.3"), track: 1542mm/1542mm
• approach: 38.5°, departure: 38.2°,
• weight: 1521kg (unladen)
• 2 litre, petrol, 4-cyls, modified efi, 4-valves/cyl, dohc
• power: 125kW at 6200rpm
• transmission: Kia 5m and 2-speed transfer case
• suspension: A-arm, coil, 30cm travel / 4-link rear, 40cm travel, brakes: disc/disc
• tyres: Kumho Venture MT 33x12.5/15 on 15x7 wheels, fuel-tank: 360L i.e. ~ 80 gals, it says! -->

Go to the Sportage and 1998 series pages