The 2023 Honda Civic Type R Is Here to Play With Record-Setting Nürburgring Lap

Five years ago, Honda set a new front-wheel drive Nürburgring record with the FK8 Civic Type R. That car ran a 7:43.8, which stood untested for a year before Renault took the podium with its Megane RS Trophy-R and a 7:40.1 time. Now, Honda’s taken the throne back in a new Type R, with a 7:44.881 lap. Wait, what?

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Yes, you read that right: The new record-setting lap is slower than the old one. That’s not the fault of the Type R itself, but of the track—as of 2019, the rules around what counts as a “lap” changed. The new route is longer, meaning all newly certified record times will be higher.

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