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Ford Fiesta rally car warms up in Sweden

Rallycross is seeing a sudden surge in popularity with two series bringing the racing to the US and Europe. The Ford OMSE team is competing in both championships this season, and it saw no reason not to hold practice with a highly modified Fiesta in the snow of Northern Sweden. It brought together Andreas Bakkerud from the European-focused FIA World Rallycross Championship and Patrik Sandell from the North American-focused Global Rallycross series for some training and fun. They certainly appear to be enjoying themselves, too, with some lovely pirouettes in the powder.
If you're unfamiliar with rallycross, the discipline combines the best of rallying and circuit racing. Drivers (with no co-drivers) race rally cars over a circuit that generally mixes dirt and asphalt, and unlike traditional rallying, multiple cars compete side-by-side at once. Even better, it's often a very two-fisted form of motorsports with lots of car-to-car contact. Global Rallycross and World Rallycross will both kick off their seasons in May. With spring on the way, scroll down to watch the Fiesta kick up some of the last snow drifts of the year.

Hertz goes Dutch with Ford Focus ST-H

Want to take a performance car for a ride? Hertz can make that happen. Spin by your local rental location (depending, of course, on availability) and you can take out a Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, even a Corvette as part of the Adrenaline Collection. Hertz's Dream Cars lineup even includes Porsches and AMGs. But the really interesting stuff is what you can't get anywhere else: cars built specifically for Hertz.
Back in 1966, Hertz had Ford cook up a special run of Mustang GT350H models in back with gold stripes. It became an icon in and of itself, and in 2008 Hertz had a new batch of Shelby GT-Hs made. Earlier this year, Hertz contracted Penske to deliver another fleet of specially-built Mustangs you can rent. But if your travel plans include a trip to the Netherlands, Hertz has a completely different type of specially-prepared Ford on offer for you.
Back in August, Ford delivered a couple of Focus STs made specifically for Hertz in Holland. Now it's expanded that fleet even further. The Ford Focus ST-H features the same 252-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four (and everything else) as the standard Focus ST, but gets that signature black exterior with gold stripes and a black leather interior with Recaro buckets. So in case a trip to Amsterdam doesn't hold enough thrills, now you can throw a hot hatch into the mix as well. Scope out the press release (in Dutch - isn't that weird?) below.

Weekly Recap: Auto execs face life in prison for recall delays under proposed legislation

The stiff punishments are part of broader transportation legislation, but clearly McCaskill has automakers in her sights.
Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill threw down the gauntlet this week, proposing a bill that could send auto executives to prison for life if they were found to have delayed a recall. She also wants to eliminate the limit for fines for auto safety violations, which are currently capped at $35 million.