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Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) earned McLaren's 150th pole position by beating everyone in Q3 of the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session.

Hamilton had the upper hand over Romain Grosjean (Lotus), whose ultimate effort across the line was insufficient to beat the Briton's. Even reigning world championship Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) could do nothing to reach the McLaren driver.

Hamilton teammate's Jenson Button lines up fourth, beside Vettel. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) posted the fifth fastest lap.

Meanwhile the third row is filled by with Ferrari drivers; Fernando Alonso (6th) and Felipe Massa (7th), thanks to an honourable performance by the Brazilian who seems to have definitely put his struggles behind him.

Williams drivers' also met on the same row of the starting grid, since Pastor Maldonado posted the eighth best lap and Bruno Senna - who cracked the top 10 for the first time this season - the ninth.

Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) had once more the upper hand over his highly rated teammate. Thanks to his performance, he will start 10th.

Disappointments for Mark Webber (Red Bull) who, unlike Hulkenberg, failed to make it to Q3, and for the two Mercedes drivers. Michael Schumacher is a distant 17th on the grid and Nico Rosberg a sad 13th.



Qualifying results* - Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)

1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1'20”953 - Q3

2. Romain Grosjean (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1'21”366 - Q3

3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1'21”416 - Q3
4. Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1'21”583 - Q3

5. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1'21”730 - Q3

6. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) - 1'21”844 - Q3

7. Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) - 1'21”900 - Q3
8. Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1'21”939 - Q3
9. Bruno Senna (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1'22”343 - Q3
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1'22”847 - Q3
11. Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1'21”715 - Q2

12. Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1'21”813 - Q2
13. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1'21”895 - Q2
14. Sergio Perez (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1'21”895 - Q2
15. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1'22”300 - Q2

16. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1'22”380 - Q2

17. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1'22”723 - Q2

18. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1'23”250 - Q1

19. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1'23”576 - Q1

20. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1'24”167 - Q1

21. Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1'25”244 - Q1
22. Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1'25”476 - Q1

23. Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1'25”916 - Q1
24. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1'26”178 - Q1

* Unofficial results

History/Description: Many folks questioned Kia's attempt to compete in the large 4x4 SUV segment by launching an immense, V8-powered sport 'ute in the middle of an economic and fuel-price crisis. That model, called the Borrego, has now ended its career after just three years on sale.

2009 Kia Borrego (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Look for a truck-frame, 6- or 8-cylinder power, four-wheel drive with low-range or all-wheel drive (AWD), and plenty of capability and towing capacity. With up to 337 hp and three rows of seating, Borrego was a powerful, big and versatile family hauler aimed at folks concerned with SUV functionality first and fuel economy second.

Feature content included heated seats, navigation, a sunroof, automatic climate control, power tilt steering wheel, memory seating, and steering-wheel mounted audio controls.

What Owners Like: Positive comments from Borrego owners typically revolve around the machine's size, adeptness with handling cargo loads, and interior flexibility. Overall performance and some high-end touches within the interior are also highly rated.

What Owners Dislike: Mandatory SUV-related fuel-consumption complaints aside, Borrego owners typically wish for easier access to the third-seating row, and a more exciting look to the interior. Many note a much rougher-than-expected ride, too. One owner in an online forum said his Borrego rode “like a pogo stick.”

Common Issues: Start your Borrego test-drive with a full check of its four-wheel drive system. Make double sure that it switches in and out of its various drive modes as expected, and without any unwelcome warning lights.

Have the underside inspected for signs of damage caused by possible careless off-roading, and have a Kia mechanic look for leaks from the transfer case, engine, transmission, and rear differential. Budget for a full fluid change in all of these to be safe, if you're unsure of the service history of the model you're considering.

2010 Kia Borrego (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Continue reading 2009-2011 Kia Borrego Pre-Owned

From GMM

Valtteri Bottas is staking his claim on a race seat at Williams in 2013.

The Finn, who is the British team's reserve and morning practice driver, was marginally faster than Williams racer and Spanish grand prix winner Pastor Maldonado early on Friday at the Hungaroring.

Reigning GP3 champion Bottas, 22, was keen to underline his achievement, telling the Finnish broadcaster MTV3: "There was no (specification) difference between the (two) cars."

Bottas is hotly tipped to move into a race seat next year.

And his chances appeared to take a big step forward last week, when it emerged his manager Toto Wolff has been promoted to assist team boss Sir Frank Williams as the new executive director.

Wolff, however, denied there is a conflict of interest.

"At the beginning of the year, actually last year already, I have refrained from interfering in any kind of negotiations or discussions between the team and Valtteri's management group, so my role is a pure financial investor behind Valtteri," he said in Budapest.

Bottas' hands-on managers are Didier Coton and Mika Hakkinen.

"The point," Wolff insisted, "is that it's very clear that the team is going to take decisions on the best package of driver and hopefully it's all going in a direction that we can have the quickest (drivers) in the car (in 2013)."

From GMM

Nurburgring boss Jorg Lindner has confirmed it is "possible" Bernie Ecclestone will buy the embattled German grand prix venue.

Die Rheinpfalz newspaper reported on Thursday that, with the circuit having entered an insolvency process, F1's chief executive was looking into buying the Nurburgring.

"I want to meet the people from the Nurburgring," Ecclestone told Bild newspaper this week. "We want to see if we can help them."

When asked about Ecclestone's reported interest in buying the fabled track, Nurburgring Automotive GmbH chief Lindner said: "I can not judge the economic interests of Bernie Ecclestone.

"But anything is possible," he is quoted by the German news agency SID.

Lindner is also considering heading a management-buyout of the beleaguered circuit, meaning he insists the prospect of a 2013 race at the Nurburgring is "very realistic".

But he said the direction must be clear within the "next four to six weeks".

And "The marketing for 2013 would need to start soon," Lindner also cautioned.

From GMM

A trio of formula one drivers have criticized the performance of Pirelli's rain tires.

Seven time world champion Michael Schumacher on Friday suffered his second crash in wet conditions in the space of seven days, explaining at the Hungaroring that he aquaplaned into the tire barrier.

But the great German, who has been openly critical of F1's Italian tire supplier, held his disapproving fire on Friday.

Others were more vocal.

"In my view, these (Pirelli wet) tires are extremely bad in terms of (water) displacement," Marussia driver Timo Glock is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"The (tyre) behaviour is just very, very funny, in terms of aquaplaning," he added.

Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, who made his F1 debut in 2010, added: "The Bridgestones were able to cope with more water."

And a third - unnamed - driver told the publication: "In the past we lost 12 seconds in the rain, now we're losing twenty."

From GMM

Craig Pollock's 'Pure' company has paused its operations, the German website motorsport-total and journalists Dieter Rencken and Stefan Ziegler have revealed.

Pollock, formerly the founder of Brackley based BAR and Jacques Villeneuve's manager, announced last year he intended to supply 'Propulsion Universelle et Recuperation d'Energie' (Pure)-branded engines to formula one customers for the 2014 V6 regulations.

The company set up camp at Toyota's Cologne headquarters earlier this year.

But the project, which also involves former Ferrari and FIA engine boss Gilles Simon, has hit a financial roadblock, the German-language report said.

A key investor pulled out a month ago, and now Pure will have to move out of Cologne, where it utilised office space, a workshop and engine test stands.

Simon informed Pure's partners and suppliers of the unfortunate development by email, explaining a financing problem.

Motorsport-total.com said Pollock confirmed the news.

"The situation is very simple," he is quoted as saying. "The investor is from the United States."

He went on to explain that Pure needs financing to come from Europe in order to satisfy Swiss tax rules.

"Until now we've been manufacturing parts and assembling engines in Cologne, but as of today, all of this has stopped," said Pollock.

He said he is expecting new European-based finance to be in place by "the end of the month".

After it withdrew from GT FIA world championship's organization, SRO will launch a GT Sprint series without the FIA's backing.

The Blancpain Endurance Series, the increasingly popular GT3-spec series, will continue next season, with five events in its calendar, including the season highlight Spa 24 Hours, presented this weekend in 2012.

In the meantime, a new Sprint GT championship, that will replace the FIA GT World Championship, will be launched. The series will keep the double 60-minute race format, intertwined between two Blancpain Endurance Series' races.

The points collected in both championships will count towards a world championship classification.

American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings said Friday that quarterly net income fell as expenses rose and the company wrote off the cost of closing of plants in Michigan and New York. American Axle's second-quarter net profit fell to $4.

Ford Motor Credit said today that will it allow Florida customers affected by Tropical Storm Debby to delay some car and truck payments.

Also in this episode: A pair of photos may give a sneak peak of the new Lexus LS sedan, and Ford recalls older Escapes over a throttle issue.

U.S. safety regulators, responding to an inquiry by Sen.

Ford is exploring wider use of aluminum on its next-generation F-150 pickup to trim 700 pounds, boost fuel economy and meet tougher federal fuel-economy rules, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

In coming months, GMC will be working to reignite sales growth for its popular crossovers.

Mazda is recalling 217,500 copies of the Tribute SUV--from the 2001 through 2008 model years--to fix a sticking throttle.

Take a look at the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, as Autoweek editors spill the beans on the new sedan.

News 27 Jul, 2012

Porsche is readying a new shooting brake version of the Panamera, and our image shows how it could look when it arrives in 2015

News 27 Jul, 2012

New Mercedes S-Class will feature a new steering wheel and COMAND control, when it arrives next year

Mazda is recalling 217,500 Tribute SUVs in the United States due to a problem with the throttle that could make it difficult to slow down a vehicle after a driver fully or nearly presses down the accelerator.

Pictures 27 Jul, 2012

Toyota will reduce domestic output in the final quarter of this year by more than 10% over the June-September period to around 12,500 units a day as government subsidies for eco-friendly cars dry up next month.