Renault has slashed its own longstanding lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at the Nordschleife, which the company held since June 23, 2008, with its new Megane RenaultSport (RS) Trophy special.
The 265-horsepower version of the Megane RS completed a full lap around the Nürburgring racetrack in 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds beating the time of the previous generation Mégane Renaultsport R26.R by 9 seconds. In comparison, the now obsolete 305HP Ford Focus RS posted a lap time of 8 minutes and 26 seconds in the summer of 2009.
The new record was set by Laurent Hurgon, a development driver of the Renault Sport division.
“The carefully-tuned Cup chassis, the dampers, the fade-resistant brakes, the Recaro seats, the power of the 265hp engine, the ready availability of torque between 2,500 and 5,000rpm and the car’s Bridgestone RE 050A (235/35 R19) tyres allowed me to make the most of the car’s enormous potential, especially into and out of the corners,” said Hurgon.
“It is this package which enabled me to post such a quick time round this circuit which you must always approach with a certain degree of humility,” he added.
The Trophy is a special edition version of the regular Megane RS with some minor tweaks that include a 15HP and 20Nm boost for a total output of 265HP and 360Nm (265 lb-ft), and a new set of Formula 1-inspired Bridgestone Potenza RE050A high-performance tires.
The more powerful Trophy is not a successor to Renault’s previous Nürburgring record holder, the hardcore R26.R, which means we may see an even more potent and lighter edition of the sports hatchback and with it, a new record in the near future.
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