Next-gen Honda Civic Type R sets lap record at Suzuka Circuit

MANILA: Honda’s next-generation Civic Type R has set a new lap record for a front-wheel drive car at the world-famous Suzuka Circuit in Japan. In Honda's test, the new Civic Type R lapped the 5.8-kilometer track in two minutes 23.120 seconds — 0.873 seconds faster than its predecessor, the stripped-back 2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition.

The new benchmark time was set during the new model’s final development evaluation last March 15, 2022. The all-new Civic Type R is the latest performance vehicle to prove itself on the iconic Suzuka International Racing Course, famous for its high-speed chicanes and challenging corners. 

The track, often described as one of the world’s greatest circuits, has been a test bed for performance Hondas since 1962 and has been home to the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix for all but two years since 1987.

The previous front-wheel drive lap record at Suzuka – two minutes 23.993 seconds – was set by a Civic Type R Limited Edition development car in February 2020. Before this, Honda's tenth generation Civic Type R GT broke the front-wheel drive lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 2017 with a lap time of seven minutes 43.8 seconds. A production specification Civic Type R GT went on to break front-wheel drive production car records at five legendary European racetracks.

Further information about the all-new Civic Type R will be shared ahead of its launch later in 2022, Honda said. 

Photos from Honda

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