Renault Sport established its first lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at the Nordschleife on June 23, 2008.
The time of 8mins 17secs posted that day by the Mégane Renaultsport R26.R demonstrated that a showroom-specification front-wheel drive car could beat high-performance models from some elite specialist brands and tuners. The Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy has now beaten that time by a full nine seconds, bringing it down to 8mins 8secs.
Today’s impressive lap time is the result of the newcomer’s extra 15hp, at 265 bhp, along with careful set-up work and an optimised tire choice by Renault Sport engineers.
Laurent Hurgon Renault Sport development driver, said:
“The Nordschleife is a legendary course. Its length and layout make it a unique and technically demanding challenge. Its difficulties are extremely varied, ranging from fast and even very fast in places to much twistier and slower portions. Turns like ‘Karusell’ and ‘Pflanzgarten’, for example, make huge demands of the car and driver alike, yet the Mégane Renaultsport Trophy is very much in its element here and feels particularly reassuring despite the uncompromising nature of the terrain. The limited slip differential allowed me to accelerate hard out of the countless turns without understeer. The carefully-tuned Cup chassis, the dampers, fade-resistant brakes, the Recaro seats, the power of the 265 bhp engine and the ready availability of torque between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm together with the Bridgestone RE 050A (235/35 R19) tires allowed me to make the most of the car’s potential, especially into and out of the corners. It’s this package which enabled me to post such a quick time round the circuit.”
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