Honda Civic Type R Sets New Track Record On Its Way To Retirement

Honda is already teasing the next-gen Civic Type R, but the current one is still setting track records around the world. The company just set the quickest time for a front-wheel-drive production car with a CTR around The Bend Motorsport Park in Australia. Then, the Limited Edition version went around the circuit and was even faster.

Driver Tony D’Alberto is at the wheel in both cars and has competition experience in the Australian GT Championship and Australian Endurance Championship. He starts with the regular Civic Type R and manages a time of 2 minutes and 13.251 seconds around The Bend’s 3.076-mile (4.95-kilometer) International Circuit.

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Then, he swaps over to the Type R Limited Edition that has less sound deadening, BBS forged aluminum wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, revised suspension damping, and recalibrated steering. It weighs about 50 pounds (22.68 kilograms) less than a standard CTR.

With less weight and stickier tires, the Type R Limited Edition performs even better around the track. D’Alberto gets the lap time down to 2:12.260, which is 0.99 seconds quicker than the standard version of the CTR.

The video above shows D’Alberto’s full lap in the Type R Limited Edition. We don’t see the speedometer, but the track appears to allow for fairly fast speeds. There are several straight sections and lots of sweeping corners. 

The current Civic Type R managed to set several track records for front-wheel-drive vehicles during its production run. It managed quick laps around the Hungaroring, Estoril, Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, and Magny-Cours. The Limited Edition beat the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R around Suzuka. Although, the Renault beat the Honda’s time around the Nürburgring.

Honda’s teaser campaign suggests the new Civic Type R debuts sometime in 2022. Rumors suggest it uses a tweaked version of the current model’s drivetrain.