Civic Type R Sets Record at Magny-Cours, Can the GTI Respond?

Back in 2016 Benny Luchter briefly held the Nurburgring front-wheel-drive lap record before breaking it again in 2017 in the Golf GTI Clubsport S.

Specifically designed to drive the ‘Ring, the Clubsport S came sans back seat, with 305 hp, and with a Nurburgring Mode in the drive select settings.

Its 7:47.19 lap time, though, was broken again when Honda released the Civic Type R. Now the Civic has set another lap time at an old-timey European Grand Prix track that has fallen into disuse: France’s Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours.

Touring Car driver Esteban Guerrieri set the 2:01.51 lap time, which, for context, is only about 10 seconds off a World Touring Car Championship Pole time in 2005 and roughly the same as a 911 Carrera S.

The record is part of a series of records that Honda plans on setting as part of the Honda Civic Type R Challenge 2018 (they’re better at making cars than they are at naming stuff).

The HCTRC 2018 will hit some of Europe’s best-known tracks, like Silverstone, Hungaroring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Estoril.

We’d love to see VW chasing after similar records with the GTI Clubsport S (or even the upcoming TCR). While we worry that the Clubsport S might not have it in it to beat the Type R following its several second deficit at the Nurburgring, a few seconds isn’t actually as big a gulf as it sounds like on the ‘Ring.

And with the right driver and the right track mode (a local Magny-Cours Mode for France, a Spa Mode for Belgium, etc. would actually be a really cool feature) the Clubsport S and the Type R could trade blows and have a good old fashioned economy car beat down—which is the greatest automotive gift of all.

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