Auto News 5

Adapted from wrc.com

Two-time FIA World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm has admitted he is still tempted by a return to the WRC.

Speaking to WRC Live's Becs Williams during the recent Rally Finland, Gronholm, a seven-time winner of the event said he “got the urge many times” to make a WRC comeback.

Marcus Gronholm, Rally of Finland 2002, Peugeot 206 WRC. (Photo: WRC)

The 44-year-old, still recuperating following his accident in the X Games in Los Angeles last month, was a visitor to his home round of the world championship.

“I decided on Friday afternoon to come up to Jyvaskyla,” said Gronholm, who claimed 30 wins from 152 starts during his lengthy stint in global rallying's top tier. “It's not easy to stay here and not drive but finally it's nice to be here and see old friends. I'm happy I decided to come.”

Gronholm has tackled two World Rally rounds since retiring from full-time competition at the end of the 2007 season. He revealed he drove a version of MINI's John Cooper Works WRC in initial testing but otherwise had no knowledge of the latest-generation World Rally Cars.

From GMM

McLaren, Mercedes and Sahara Force India are all struggling with excessive tire wear this year.

And according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, the likely culprit is the trio's common engine supplier.

"Lotus, Red Bull and Ferrari can make a set of tires last longer than we can," said McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Auto Motor und Sport said one theory doing the rounds is that the superior mid-range power of Mercedes' V8 engine is wearing the rear Pirelli tires too much.

McLaren-Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

"On the way out of corners, we are able to keep up," said Sauber's Sergio Perez. "But then there comes a phase when the Force India can pull away, so long as their tires are fresh."

Mercedes' team boss Ross Brawn acknowledged that the "characteristic of the engine has a large influence on the degradation of the tires".

Auto Motor und Sport said Mercedes has "recognised the problem" and is working at full speed to improve its engine torque maps.

Formula 1 refugee Rubens Barrichello competes in his first season of the IZOD IndyCar series alongside his old time friend Tony Kanaan as part of the KV Racing team.

Barrichello, a former Ferrari driver in Formula 1, has endured a tough time this season in IndyCar. Despite his talent and his vast experience, he only finished five times in the Top 10 and currently ranks 17th in the drivers' overall standings with 215 points.

Rubens Barrichello at Indianapolis. (Photo: LAT for IndyCar)

Although he's still learning about the intricacies of IndyCar racing, the 40-year-old Brazilian is quite frustrated with his lack of results.

Talking to British magazine Autosport, Barrichello explained that he's making steady progress, but the car is not, and the strategy side has not clicked.

The magazine understands that Barrichello has already held advanced talks with at least one Honda-powered team about a drive next year.

Barrichello may also decide to stay with KV Racing alongside Kanaan, but he may also decide to retire from racing for good.

2012 Ford Focus Titanium 5-door

The Focus is one of our favorites.

This is my first experience with Ford's revised MyFord Touch infotainment system and it worked just fine. It's not the best system on the market, but I can see how tech-savvy shoppers would be very impressed with this solution in a compact car. I'm not a huge fan of voice-activated controls in cars, but I found myself using Sync to change the satellite radio station when I wanted to jump more than four or five stations at a time. It's still easier to skip a single station in either direction by pushing a physical button.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus Titanium 5-door - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus Titanium 5-door - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

2012 Ford Focus Titanium 5-door | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Telling a good car from a bad one is not as easy as it used to be. But that does not mean each one is necessarily as good as the rest.

Chrysler Group's head of interior design said the automaker's bankruptcy helped transform its autos' new interiors.

Honda America will take the lead in a growing list of global vehicle development projects to help the automaker fend off competitive challenges in North America and hedge against a strong yen.

What is it?

Also in this episode: Peter Brock and Bob Bondurant will visit with fans at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, and

First Drive: 2013 Mini Paceman Cooper S All4 Prototype

These days, there are so many choices that you can almost buy a Mini on a custom-tailored basis, selecting from the original hatchback, the Clubman wagon, the convertible, the coupe, the roadster, and the five-door Countryman crossover.

Just how much Mini do you need? These days, there are so many choices that you can almost buy a Mini on a custom-tailored basis, selecting from the original hatchback, the Clubman wagon, the convertible, the coupe, the roadster, and the five-door Countryman crossover. Beginning next May, Mini will add a large three-door hatchback to the mix, the Paceman, which was previewed as a concept at the 2011 Detroit auto show and is, in effect, a smaller and more stylish Countryman.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2013 Mini Paceman Cooper S All4 Prototype - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2013 Mini Paceman Cooper S All4 Prototype - Automobile Magazine

First Drive: 2013 Mini Paceman Cooper S All4 Prototype | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

The industrywide drop in the number of commercially owned vehicles returning to the wholesale market created a 'challenging' second quarter for ADESA Auctions Inc., the CEO of its parent company said.

The Canadian government is expressing increasing frustration with politics on the American side of the Detroit River that are stalling plans to build a new bridge for auto trade between Canada and the United States.

The fourth-annual Classic Motorcycles at the Simeone opens Saturday, Aug. 11, and continues until Sept. 6.

Videos 8 Aug, 2012

Can the UK’s cheapest 4x4 cut it off-road? We take it greenlaning to find out...

Before enthusiasts gaze at the vehicles displayed at the

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: This is certainly a handsome execution of the 2012 Audi A4, and the manual gearbox makes it come alive for enthusiast pursuits.

Scandinavian auto suppliers association, FKG, claims it is sure there has been unspecified "dirty business" surrounding Saab's slow dive into bankruptcy.

Nitro Circus is not Jackass. You may still see some personal pain and bodily injury, but we're pretty sure you won't see full-frontal male nudity. We hope.

Ford's light commercial vehicle joint venture in China will expand into heavy trucks through a major acquisition, with the two partners saying the move will give it "a strong foothold in the world's largest market for the segment".

Ford's Chinese commercial vehicle unit agreed to buy a heavy-truck maker for as much as 270 million yuan ($42 million), as the U.S. automaker expands beyond passenger cars in the world's largest auto market.