Ford are planning to take the new Focus RS to the Nurburgring to try and grab the hot hatch lap record, having being beaten to the punch by Renault and the Megane R26.R last year. The Focus RS was spotted at an industry pool day last week, an event where manufacturers share time on the ‘Ring testing their prototypes. The belief is that Ford were setting...

The Renaultsport Megane R26.R has made its first public appearance at the British Motor Show, and it really is a belter. By taking the already excellent Megane R26 and putting it on a crash diet Renault have managed to shed 123kgs, improving the power/weight ratio as well as sharpening chassis reponse. Mechanically very little has changed. The engine and...

Both the Ford Focus RS and RenaultSport Megane R26-R are undergoing final development at the Nurburgring, and it looks like the two cars are going to be very evenly matched. The Megane R26-R has recently been clocked around the Nurburgring at 8:12, running on super grippy Toyo Cup tyres. The Focus RS development car, running at about 250bhp, has managed an 8:27...