A Kia Sportage won class two (short wheel base SUV's) of the SCORE Desert Championship race series for 1998, the second year in a row. Darren Skilton's Sportage won four of the six races and came second in the final Baja 1000 race. In addition, it won two of the four `Best of the Desert' races, winning its class in that series also [-Kia].
Sceptics might have thought Kia's 1997 success
a flash in the pan, but the 1998 results reinforce
Sportage's reputation for ruggedness.
Of course the race car is modified,
featuring 30cm (12") of front suspension travel
and 33x10.5x15 tires (tyres), for example.
Engine power is also up, to 125kw at 6200rpm,
against 94kW at 5300rpm standard, although it is still the sweet 2-litre
Kia unit.
- 4wdonline.com/News/1999/990104.SCORE.html
Go to the
1999 series
and
Sportage
pages