James May will likely not agree but Nürburgring lap records are great; they are the staple of drunken bar room discussions and internet fanboy wars alike, as well as providing a huge PR boost for which ever manufacturer can lay claim to the title.
In the front-wheel drive hot hatch class there is one clear king - the Mégane Renaultsport Trophy. Its 8:07.97 time is a full eight seconds quicker than the previous fastest, which was set by the previous generation Mégane R26.R.
When it comes to hot hatches the 'Ring is Renault's home and it does not take too kindly to someone encroaching on it. So you can imagine how the engineers in Dieppe felt when Honda's CEO of Research and Development publically stated that the forthcoming Civic Type R would 'break the front-wheel drive lap record at the Nürburgring'. Incensed would likely be putting it mildly as Renault's reaction was to ship a hot Mégane (and driver Laurent Hurgon) straight to Suzuka to claim the lap record in Honda's own back yard. Talk about marking your territory; as not only did the Mégane set a big benchmark for Honda to follow but it beat the Japanese flagship sports car - the NSX-R - while doing so.
Without a car with which to respond Honda has thought outside the box to put its stamp on the Mégane's home turf - all of which was caught on CCTV at the circuit. Have a look at the video here.