Honda has dropped a new video of its record-setting front-wheel drive production car lap around Spa-Francorchamps where the circuit was lapped in just 2 minutes and 53.72 seconds.
The time comes part of Honda’s ‘Type R Challenge 2018’ where it intends on setting five new lap records at circuits across Europe. The Spa lap follows on from a lap record at the Magny-Cours GP circuit.
Sitting behind the wheel of the hot hatch for the Spa record was former LMP2 class world champion and current Honda NSX-GT driver, Bertrand Baguette. Alongside the Spa and Magny-Cours records, the Honda Civic Type R holds the title for the fastest front-wheel drive production car around the Nurburgring when it set a time of 7 minutes and 43.8 seconds in April 2017.
For the remaining three record attempts, Honda will visit Silverstone, Estoril, and the Hungaroring. Each of these attempts will be undertaken by a different driver, namely Jenson Button, Tiago Monteiro and Matt Neal.
Watching the lap, it’s hard not to be impressed by what the Type R achieves. For example, it tackles Eau-Rouge at just under 200 km/h (124 mph) and remains composed throughout the rest of the lap. Given the caliber of the driver behind the wheel, this isn’t entirely surprising.
Powering the latest-generation Honda Civic Type R is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine pumping out 315 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Like all other of generations of Civic Type Rs before it, drive is sent exclusively throughout the front wheels and a six-speed manual transmission remains the only gearbox option.