g two successes in the Honda Civic Type R Challenge 2018 at the Magny-Cours and Spa-Francorchamps circuits, the high-performance hatchback has set a new two minutes and 31.32 seconds lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at the Silverstone GP circuit in Britain, beating the benchmark set by the previous generation Civic Type R in a similar challenge in 2016.
The Type R was piloted by three-times British Touring Car Championship winner Matt Neal, who is currently campaigning a Honda Civic Type R in the 2018 BTCC with Halfords Yuasa Racing.
The Silverstone GP circuit is a thrilling 5.89km track featuring fast straights and high-speed corners, combined with more technical sections that demand pinpoint placement of the car. With tremendous outright pace from its optimised 2.0-litre VTEC TURBO engine, the Civic Type R provided blistering performance to enable Neal to make the most of the straights and accelerate quickly out of the sweeping corners.
Furthermore, the speed of the circuit means that aerodynamic characteristics are key – and Civic Type R’s best-in-class balance between lift and drag delivered a significant benefit. In the car’s +R mode, the adaptive damper system produces a firm and flat ride, enabling more speed to be carried through Silverstone’s flowing curves.
The new benchmark time for the Silverstone circuit is the fourth lap record to be claimed by the new Honda Civic Type R. In April 2017, a production development car became the fastest front-wheel drive production car around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with a lap time of seven minutes 43.8 secs.
Following that, the Type R Challenge 2018 started with WTCR driver, Esteban Guerrieri, setting a new two minutess 1.51 secs lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at the Magny-Cours GP circuit in France, before Bertrand Baguette clocked two minutes 53.72 secs in the same car at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
The new Honda Civic Type R retains the heritage of Honda’s high-performance hatchback bloodline and is the fastest accelerating and quickest car in its class. The latest car to sport the famous ‘red H’ was part of the new tenth-generation Civic’s development programme – the largest in Honda’s history – and was engineered to deliver the most rewarding drive in the hot hatch segment, both on road and on the race track.
It features a lightweight, highly rigid bodyshell, low centre of gravity, and sophisticated dual-axis strut front suspension system, which reduces torque steer and enhances on-the-limit cornering.
Best ‘Hot Hatch’
Meanwhile, the British-built Honda Civic Type R has taken home another trophy, this time at the 2018 Auto Express Awards, taking the title of ‘Best Hot Hatch’ for the second year running.
Widely acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards of the car industry, the annual Auto Express New Car Awards are given to cars that set the highest standards in their class each year.
