Kia Motors America’s motorsports program hit a new high last year grabbing the Team and Driver titles in the 2011 Street Tuner (ST) class in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Now they’re looking forward to 2012 with new driver pairings for both the number-10 and number-12 Infinity Audio Forte Koups.

The first race of the 2012 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Championship season will be on January 27, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway and Kia will have Andy Lally and Nic Jönsson to lead the way. Lally returns to the Kia Racing program fresh off his 2011 Sonoco Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year performance, reuniting with ST Driver Champion Jönsson. Both drivers were last seen capturing Kia’s first-ever Grand-Am podium at Daytona in January 2011 before Lally went off to NASCAR.

Both drivers are extremely excited and looking forward to the start of the new season and defending the Driver and Team championships for Kia Racing.

The NBC Sports Network, formerly known as VERSUS, has announced their broadcasting schedule for one of our favorite racing series, the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge Series. All races of the series will be broadcast in either 90-minute or two-hour programs airing on Saturday or Sunday afternoons.

Greg Creamer and Calvin Fish, both renowned motorsports announcers, will play hosts to the coverage offering commentary and play-by-play, in-depth analysis at each race. Each episode will also include some unique feature segments, series personalities and behind-the-scenes footage.

See below for the complete schedule:

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Kia has just announced at the LA Auto Show that they’ve teamed up with Kinetic Motorsports to campaign a pair of Optima SXs in World Challenge. The pair of race cars will join the Rio 5-Door B-Spec that debuted at the SEMA Show earlier this month as part of Kia’s racing efforts with Kinetic Motorsports.

The turbocharged Optima race cars are set to enter the Pirelli World Challenge Championship and will compete in the Grand Touring Sport (GTS) class. Interestingly enough, the Optimas will be the first Korean vehicles to compete in the series and it’ll be interesting to see if Hyundai follows suit sometime soon.

Drivers for the two vehicles were not announced, but Kia did reassure us that Kinetic Motorsports will continue the successful Forte Koup’s racing efforts in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

GALLERY: Kia Racing World Challenge GTS Optima SX

GALLERY: Kia Racing World Challenge GTS Optima SX LA Auto Show Debut

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 LA Auto Show coverage here

Four of the eight venues for the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge Schedule has been announced, but the bigger news is the confirmation of the new Touring Car B-Spec Class, something we’ve been eagerly awaiting.

B-Spec races will only run at three of the eight event weekends scheduled, but we believe that this is merely a way to keep it affordable for the racers in that class. Over those three event weekends, nine B-Spec races will take place.

The four venues already announced were the Streets of Long Beach alongside IndyCar and ALMS, where only the GT and GTS classes will compete on April 13th-15th 2012. April 27th-29th 2012 will bring GT, GTS, Touring Car and Touring Car B-Spec to Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. June 1st-3rd 2012 will share again with IndyCar at Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix with all classes competing that weekend. Last of the announced events is the June 22nd-24th event taking place at Mosport International Raceway in Ontario, Canada. All classes will be competing as this event is the Pirelli World Challenge Headliner.

Four more venues and events will be announced shortly by the SCCA.

Whether you’re an individual looking for a fun track toy, or a race team looking for a competitive platform, Nissan now has something for you. Based on the street-legal Z car, the new 370Z NISMO RC race car is now for sale and is already certified for use in the SCCA World Challenge GTS class, as well as any FIA GT4 class race series. In addition, Nissan claims that with minor changes the car can be adapted for use in the Grand Am Continental Tire Challenge GS class.

Weighing just 2,954 lbs the race car gets a full NISMO exhaust and NISMO tuned ECO, as well as a NISMO clutch, flywheel and Recaro racing seats. There’s also a roll cage, fire extinguisher, Sparco steering wheel and carbon-fiber switch panel.. The factory 3.7-liter V6 engine has been massaged slightly to deliver 355-hp and 276 lb-ft of torque.

But the best part? Transmission and differential coolers so the car doesn’t overheat and go into limp mode like the street car.

Interested parties can contact Nissan’s motorsports division at (888) 833-3225 or email nmc.race@nissan-usa.com.

GALLERY: Nissan 370Z NISMO RC Race Car

Kia will be joining in on the B-Spec racing series fun by offering race-prepped versions of the new 2012 Rio 5-door, joining the likes of the Mazda2 and Honda Fit. The B-Spec racing series is designed for low-budget racing enthusiasts featuring compact hatchbacks with little to no engine modifications. Kia will be working with Kinetic Motorsports to get Rio 5-Doors ready to race and is planning to announce more details at the upcoming 2011 SEMA Show.

Based on other B-Spec racing vehicles, we can safely assume that the race-prepped Rio will feature a roll cage, racing seats, harnesses, suspension modifications and a new wheel and tire package. B-Spec series racers are designed to compete in SCCA, NASA, Grand-Am and World Challenge race series. With basically stock engines in all of the vehicles, the race-ready Rio will sport the factory 1.6L that pumps out 138-hp and 123 lb-ft of torque, significantly more than either the Honda or Mazda.

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 Kia Rio 5-Door review and see a preview of the 2011 SEMA Show here.

As part of Cadillac‘s continued rebranding efforts the Cadillac Racing team has been releasing “ride along” videos from each of its races this season in the SCCA World Challenge series. The latest comes to use from the glass-smooth and world-famous Laguna Seca, where pilots Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim take us through all 11 turns of the circuit, displaying some incredible driving.

Unfortunately the race itself wasn’t what Cadillac Racing had hoped with O’Connell managing just a 4th place finish in the GT Class, while damage sustained to Pilgrim’s car put him entirely out of the running.

This particular video is particularly worth a watch with Pilgrim and O’Connell getting rather close to each other on a few occasions. Plus, watch out for a grenading Volvo engine.

GALLERY: Cadillac CTS-V

Watch the video after the jump:

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Looking to improve upon some of the success the team found during rounds five and six of the SCCA World Challenge series, Cadillac Racing is competing with its duo of CTS-V Coupe race cars at Mid-Ohio this weekend.

So far the podium has been elusive, with the No. 3 car piloted by Johnny O’Connell forced off track only to battle back to 8th place. The No. 8 car of Andy Pilgrim came close, finishing fourth in the seventh round of the series. The race was won by Alex Figge in the Volvo S60, with Patrick Long in the No. 45 Porsche GT3 second and James Sofronas in the Porsche GT3 coming 3rd.

O’Connell and Long will have a second chance during the 8th round later this afternoon. Currently O’Connell sits 4^th in the driver points while Pilgrim is 7th with Cadillac second in the manufacturer’s championship.

If you’re looking to get a feel of what it’s like to ride along with these pros. You’re in luck. Cadillac Racing has provided a narrated hot lap by O’Connell and Pilgrim, with an amazing display of speed and some excellent tips from two pros.

GALLERY: Cadillac Racing CTS-V Coupe Mid Ohio

Watch the video after the jump:

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After a trying season, things are finally starting to turn around for Team Cadillac. Competing with a two car effort in the fifth and sixth rounds of the SCCA World Challenge series at Mosport International Raceway, Johnny O’Connell managed two podium finishes in his No. 3 CTS-V Coupe in front of a crowd that included General Motors North America President Mark Reuss.

In race one O’Connell moved from third on the grid to second on the start, then surrendering the position to the Corvette of Patrick Lindsey. O’Connell then took back second place when Lindsay encountered mechanical problems and then held on to second; the team’s best finish of the season.

In race two, O’Connell looked poised for a repeat but managed just a third place finish after a late race caution stopped him from hunting down Patrick Long in the No. 45 Privacy Star Porsche 911 GT3. Both races were won by Mike Skeen in the No. 2 CRP Racing/Cragar Wheels Chevrolet Corvette.

The No. 8 CTS-V of Andy Pilgrim placed fifth in both races of the weekend, helping Cadillac secure second in the manufacturer’s points race behind Porsche.

Rounds seven and eight of the World Challenge series take place August 5-7 at Mid Ohio.

GALLERY: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Race Car