FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., -- Perry King, star of Aaron Spelling's upcoming NBC television drama series Titans, is temporarily replacing his acting hat for a race helmet as he takes the wheel of an "extreme sport" Hyundai Tiburon at the Maine Forest ProRally race on July 28-29. King, who has an extensive background in auto racing, will enter the Production Class for round five of the 2000 ProRally Championship driving a specially prepared Hyundai Tiburon. While King has years of experience driving everything from Indy Lights to Legends cars, he will attend the Team O'Neil Car Control Center prior to the event. At the Center, five-time U.S. and North American Rally Champion Tim O'Neil will bring King up to speed on the nuances of ProRally - a specialized form of auto racing that makes some so-called extreme sports look tame in comparison. In SCCA ProRally competition the objective is to cover the rally route as quickly as possible, but there's one little hitch. Neither the driver nor navigator gets to see the rally instructions or the course until just before they are scheduled to leave the starting line.

The timed special stages are run on dirt roads or fire roads and the cars are sideways more than straight as the drivers follow the instructions of the navigator. While on the outside it appears the cars are careening wildly though the forest coming within inches of bushes and trees, the story on the inside is quite different as the driver smoothly coordinates the steering wheel, throttle pedal, brake and clutch in a thundering mechanical ballet. The Maine Forest route is approximately 260 miles long on well-groomed ex-logging roads. Considered one of the most challenging in the ProRally Series, this race pushes the limits in ProRally competition. "I'd give up acting to race full-time in a heart beat," said King. "But if I quit acting, I doubt I'd have the wonderful opportunities to race so many great machines." King's new show, Titans, centers around the turmoil swirling inside a wealthy Beverly Hills family and co-stars two beautiful actresses, Victoria Principal and Yasmine Bleeth. His acting career includes the hit 1980's television series Riptide, as well as starring roles in numerous feature films, television shows and mini-series.

King's Hyundai co-stars and teammates, are talented drivers and series rivals Paul Choiniere and Noel Lawler who will continue to battle for the 2000 Drivers Championship at the Maine Forest Rally. The two, along with their respective co-drivers Jeff Becker and Charlie Bradley will race identically prepared 2000 Hyundai Tiburons, powered by 2.0-liter, 381-horsepower turbocharged powerplants. A more docile 2.0-liter, DOHC in-line four-cylinder, 140-horsepower engine powers the Production Class Hyundai Tiburon King will drive in the event.

Lawler, the defending 1999 champion, is seeking his first win of the season in Maine, while Choiniere is hoping to add another win to his two early season victories. The team will be joined for the Maine Forest event by rally-legend Doug Shepherd, who will pilot a Hyundai Elantra. Hyundai Motorsports' partnership with Libra Racing began in 1995 with immediate success. With drivers Choiniere and Lawler, the team has won four consecutive Manufacturers Championships, as well as three Driver and Co-Driver titles.

Hyundai Motor America, based in Fountain Valley, California, is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company in Korea. Hyundai cars and light trucks are distributed in the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 500 dealerships nationwide.