Renault have publically stated their intention to beat SEAT’s new Nurburgring FWD lap record by launching their #Under8 hashtag and releasing sneak previews of a revised Megane. Now, according to Australian site TheMotorReport.com.au, details of Renault’s plans are starting to emerge.
For a start the target time is 7:45, thirteen seconds quicker than the Leon 280, which itself was nearly 10 seconds faster than the Megane 265 Trophy. If that’s true Renault are taking this very seriously. Maybe a bit too seriously.
Renaultsport Megane 265 2014
Secondly, according to a source ‘familiar with the project’, the new car will be called the RS275R. The 275 obviously refers to the power, indicating an increase of just 10bhp. The ‘R’ suffix brings to mind the previous generation R26.R and implies that the Megane will receive some lightweight treatment. The titanium and carbon-fibre Akraprovic exhaust will help but will that and another 10bhp be enough to find 23 seconds over the 265 Trophy? That seems unlikely so the Michelin rubber and Ohlins dampers are going to have to find a lot of extra grip if the Megane is going to hit that target.
The date for the record attempt is June 16th. Something tells me we’ll be hearing a lot more about this in the coming weeks.
