What's all this about?

When Honda decided to pull out all the stops and turn the latest iteration of its Civic Type R (CTR) hot hatchback into a be-winged, turbocharged nutter, the Japanese company said it had done it to ensure that the CTR was the best of its type on track. Primarily, it was built to take the Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record for front-wheel drive production cars. Which it duly did in May 2014 with a scorching time of 7:50.63, although we didn't know about it until the car was revealed nearly a year later at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. And it also technically means the Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy-R never held the front-wheel drive record, as it set its 7:54.36 lap in June 2014, a month after the pre-production Honda.

But hasn't a Volkswagen Golf GTI gone quicker again?

You know your stuff. The Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S went round in April this year, stripping 1.4 seconds off the CTR's time to set a lap of 7:49.21. This has clearly angered Honda.

How do you know that?

First of all, we were invited to the Hungaroring as Honda's guests to see the culmination of a track-focused Guinness World Record attempt, which we shall come onto in a moment. Secondly, at said event, Honda's people on hand were at pains to stress that 'we shall see what we shall see' about the GTI's Nordschleife efforts. "Don't be surprised if you see us back there with the Civic soon," said one official, menacingly. It all shows how much these lap records mean to Honda. Which brings us back to point one.

What, the reason you were at the Hungaroring?

Correct. Honda has decided to use the CTR to set the FWD production car lap record at five key circuits across Europe, culminating in the final venue - Hungary's F1 GP track. It began in April, when a standard CTR went round the Silverstone GP circuit in 2:44.45 in the hands of Matt Neal. That was in the wet. At the end of the same month, the team went back again in more clement weather conditions and Neal blistered round in 2:31.85. Next up was Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps in May, with Rob Huff now at the wheel - and a record lap of 2:56.91 seconds was set. At Monza the same month, Norbert 'Norbie' Michelisz - a Hungarian driver - clocked 2:15.16 and then right at the end of May, Portuguese race driver Bruno Correia muscled the CTR round his home circuit of Estoril in 2:04.08. Four tracks, four records set. One to go.

And did Honda do it?

Of course it did. Norbie was back at the wheel for the final attempt and on a hot June 6, he managed a 2:10.85 to grant Honda the Guinness World Record of five FWD lap times at five different circuits. Better still, to give us a genuine idea of how quick that final time was, Honda let us loose around the circuit in the previous two generations of CTR, as well as the current 310hp turbocharged motor. With a track-day instructor in the passenger seat, all we could muster up was a turgid 2:23.66, practically 13 seconds back down the road. Sigh.

So will Honda re-take the Nürburgring record?

It's entirely possible. One thing's for sure, all those wings and spoilers on the CTR are clearly not just there for show. Holding five lap records at once is a mighty impressive achievement.

Matt Robinson - 14 Jun 2016