Formula 1 World Champion and current NSX Super GT driver Jenson Button is among a number of drivers that will take on Eropean race tracks in Honda’s latest weapon, the Type R. They’re not simply cutting laps, but WTCR drivers Tiago Monteiro (Portugal), Esteban Guerrieri (Argentina) and NSX Super GT star Bertrand Baguette (Belgium) will join Jenson for the challenge of setting lap records.
A similar challenge in 2016 saw benchmark lap times set at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Estoril and Hungaroring using the previous-generation Civic Type R. The drivers included racers from the British Touring Car Championship and World Touring Car Championship.
For the 2018 edition, Honda will aim to exceed the times set at:
- Silverstone (UK),
- Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
- Estoril (Portugal)
- Further tracks to be announced.
The latest car to sport the famous ‘red H’ was part of the all-new tenth-generation Civic’s development program – 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. With an Adaptive Damper System, the car has the poise and comfort for the daily commute but delivers track-honed dynamics when required.
With three driving modes: Comfort, Sport and +R mode, which at the touch of a button, automatically retunes the suspension, throttle and steering settings for maximum performance.
The Civic Type R 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.
Powered by a 2.0-litre VTEC TURBO engine, the new Honda Civic Type R offers a peak power output in Australian tune of 228 kW at 6,500 rpm, and peak torque of 400 Nm from 2,500 rpm to 4,500 rpm. In Europe, the car has a top speed of 272 km/h and 0-100 km/h is achieved in just 5.7 seconds.
In April 2017, a production development car became the fastest front-wheel drive production car ever around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with a lap time of 7min 43.8sec.
Honda will show the 2018 Time Attack Civic Type R at the Geneva Motor Show from March 8 – 18.
