The Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition just overtook the Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R at the Suzuka Raceway in Japan, bringing the FWD hot hatch rivalry to a whole new level.
The car zapped through the entire 5.8-kilometer (3.6-mile) long track in 2:23.993. More specifically, the record was set in February during final pre-production tests. Even though the vehicle on the track was technically a prototype, it was identical to the final production model. Thus, it was proclaimed the new champion of the Suzuka Raceway, dethroning the Megane R.S. Trophy-R with its 2:25.454.
Last spring, the French hatchback beat its Japanese rival on the Nürburgring, finishing the North Loop in 7:40.1 as opposed to 7:43.8. It also erased Honda’s Spa Francorchamps record of 2:53.72 by doing a lap in just 2:48.338. It now looks like Honda is set on re-conquering the ground it lost last year.