Kia’s stylish and sporty three door Pro Ceed has been entered into Europe’s toughest and most legendary long-distance Nürburgring 24-hour race.
A team from Continental Italia have barely modified the car and are hoping to triumph over the competition with as few tyre changes as possible. The team are fitting ContiSportContact 3 standard tyres to the Pro Ceed rather than race tyres, they expect to have an advantage over those that have to swap tyres with each change in weather conditions.
Kia's Pro Ceed is very familliar with the German Nürburgring having been extensively tested there during development. The Pro Ceed's handling was finely tuned here and also on all kinds of roads and in all types of weather conditions in Germany, France, Spain and Sweden so the likely rainfall this weekend will not hinder the Kia’s progress. Test tracks also played an important part in the dynamic development of the all-round independent suspension, with Pro Ceed being put through its paces on circuits and proving grounds such as Nürburgring, Boxberg and ATP/Papenburg, Ladoux and Idiada.
The Pro Ceed is powered by Kia’s strong, flexible 2.0 litre diesel engine producing 138bhp at 4000rpm and 305Nm of torque all the way from 1800 to 2500rpm, giving instant, strong response throughout the rev band and outstanding performance.
The Continental Italia Pro Ceed will also be supported by Castol as the market leader for special oils for extreme use. Kia Motors and Continental were brought together by the UEFA EURO 2008 as both companies are official sponsors.
Four drivers will share the 1,900km journey between them - Dr Alberto Bergamaschi who already has 360 races under his belt; Gianni Bellani – an experienced long distance race expert; and two of the most experienced touring car drivers, Paolo Cecchellero and Edo Varini. Their motto for the race is simple: As few tyre changes as possible, as many changes as necessary.
For more information on the Kia Pro Ceed sports hatchback call Kia Darlington on freephone 0800 980 4532 or Kia York on freephone 0800 072 0762.