Auto News 5

From press release

Former Belgian Rallycross Champion Koen Pauwels not only races in FIA World Rallycross Championship events, but has also also been an integral part of bringing rallycross back to Belgium and creating the track that will host round six of World RX this weekend at the Circuit Jules Tacheny in Mettet.

Pauwels first approached the club that runs the circuit and it's manager Philippe Dujardin at the start of last 2013 about hosting rallycross, and after a 18 months of planning the first event at the venue is held this weekend.

“Everything is looking good. Of course, the rallycross track is new so we have had some small issues, but I think we have managed to sort them all out now,” says Pauwels. “The goal was to have rallycross back in Belgium, and now we have the World championship and the European championship this weekend, so that's very exciting.”

While helping to run the event, Pauwels will also be trying to concentrate on making it to the semi finals in his home round of the series in his Ford Focus Supercar, having already make it to the final at round one in Portugal, back in May.

“I have had such little time to think about the racing, my engineers are very good and they have taken care of everything. I hope that on Friday evening I can put my organizers badge down and get ready to put my racing suit on before practice, but I don't have any expectations of results this weekend.

“ Making the final in Portugal was a great start to the season, but in England we had bad luck and didn't make the semi finals, and in Norway the turbo broke in the third heat, we didn't fix the car because we knew we were out then. I hope for better luck here.”

From IndyCar

Andretti Autosport has won five of the seven IndyCar Series races at Iowa Speedway, including the past four. James Hinchcliffe, part-owner of the streak, leads a four-entry effort to extend it July 12 in the Iowa Corn Indy 300.

Hinchcliffe led 228 of the 250 laps on the .894-mile, variably-banked oval in June 2013 en route to his third victory of the season. In his previous two seasons, Hinchcliffe led a total of 33 laps on ovals.

“The cars that the team has had at Iowa have been really competitive since they started going there,” said Hinchcliffe, who started second last year through the three heat race format.

“That gives the team a lot of confidence, but at the same time you can't rest on your laurels because you know everybody will have improved on their packages from last year and many teams tested there (in mid-June).

“Last year we had to race some really strong cars during parts of the race and we know everybody will go back with a stronger package and we have to do the same.”

In 2013, the Iowa Corn Indy 300 followed another short-track race - at the Milwaukee Mile - before the series headed to the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway tri-oval. Iowa and Pocono are reversed this year, with the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest on Aug. 17.

James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport (Photo: Chris Jones/IndyCar.com)

“Now you're going from one of the biggest places to the smallest,” said Hinchcliffe, whose No. 27 United Fiber & Data car finished 12th in the Pocono INDYCAR 500 on July 6. “It's a huge shift in mind-set when you get there. The first couple of laps will be tough just to get your head around how quick everything happens.”

Hinchcliffe also has a personal streak - starting in the top 10 the past seven races - and has an average starting position of 6.1 through the 11 rounds of the 18-race season. Strong race results haven't been as forthcoming; he has an average finish of 12.0 in the seven races and 13.9 for the season.

Fifth place at Belle Isle 2 and Houston 1 are season highs.

“Going back after my performance last year is something I'm looking forward to, but again you go with these raised expectations because we did have such a good race and historically the team has had such good cars there,” he said. “I have confidence in the guys that we can sort it out on Saturday night and repeat.”

Two senators are asking the Surface Transportation Board -- a bipartisan body of the Department of Transportation -- to investigate railroad delays of vehicle deliveries to dealerships.

German supplier ZF Friedrichshafen's takeover offer for rival TRW Automotive looks unlikely to draw rival bids for the Michigan-based company, but could trigger further deals down the line, bankers and analysts said today.

ZF's takeover offer for rival TRW looks unlikely to draw rival bids for TRW, but could trigger further deals down the line, bankers and analysts said.

President Barack Obama is enlisting several major U.S. and multinational companies, including automakers Honda, Nissan and Toyota, to draw attention to an initiative aimed at helping small businesses expand and hire workers.

Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett signed a bill that will allow Tesla to operate up to five stores in the state.

Today, July 11, is National Collector Car Appreciation Day across the U.S. That means it's time to shake the dust off your summer car, if you haven't already done it, and take it out cruising.

Johan De Nysschen has resigned from his position as president of Infiniti and looks set to take over as global head of GM's Cadillac brand.

NHTSA is investigating an estimated 500,000 Ford Motor sedans for potential steering problems.

General Motors is hiring Johan de Nysschen, the former U.S. Audi boss who is leaving Nissan's Infiniti, to lead global

England is the birthplace of the

The boffins at Jaguar Land Rover revealed this week that they have come up with something akin to an on-board assistant built into your car.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk pledged $1 million to the Tesla Science Center, a museum to be built on the site of 20th-century inventor Nikola Tesla's lab on Long Island in New York.

Akihiro 'Dezi' Nagaya, a key designer who brought more emboldened, emotional styling to Toyota and Lexus vehicles, has been named design general manager for affiliate Yamaha Motor Co.

A total of 70 used cars imported from Japan and found to have increased levels of radiation are being stored in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and cannot be sent back, according to

Car sales in Western Europe grew by 3.9% in June according to data released by LMC Automotive. In the first six months of 2014, the region's sales were up 5% year-on-year, and the market remains on course for a solid full year expansion.

SENIOR MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: Where did eight years go? Yes, it really has been that long since the third-gen

News 11 Jul, 2014

Prime Minister David Cameron announces plans to give local authorities the power to close public roads for motor sport events

Pictures See all 17 pictures 13 Jul, 2014