Renault Sport going for new Nürburgring lap record

8:09, keep that number handy. The teaser video and info was sent to us by one of our readers who certainly would know. The car, a new limited edition version of the Megane 3, might be named Megane 3 Trophy and it will go after Renault's own FWD record of 8:17 set with the R26R. But while the R26R was a true, honest to god, factory clubsport model with no rear seats, plastic windows, a half cage, bucket seats and sticky tires, this new car does not have any radical weight saving modifications at all, just suspension tweaks and more power.

If you've ever encountered a Megane 3 RS you will definitively remember its sound, nothing quite like it anywhere. I saw a couple making the VIP passenger rounds between races in Monaco last month, they certainly hauled. By the way, did you know the Nissan GT-R is not the only car with onboard performance display/recorder? Check this out

Like any turbo motor, you know extra power is just a chip away and only limited by how long you expect the engine to live. Getting a factory "chipped" engine has all the advantages of having the best engineers work out the right compromises.
What, don't feel like the factory is giving you enough power?...Ok, obviously you are braking too much because Renault Sport is shooting to beat the time set by the radical R26R, by a lot!

For reference, the new hot small car of the moment, the BMW 1M set an impressive Nürburgring lap time of 8:12... will Renault do it? find out June 17th as the say...I'm guessing they have already.

So what does the Renault Megane 3RS feel like? Let's take a ride and enjoy that peculiar giant blowing sound in our reader's Mega3RS at Spa. It is not the 'Ring model but it shares engine tuning. Nice line coming up out of Eau Rouge man!



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Yellow Peril: Renault Megane Trophy

Just in case you are bored with yet another Porsche Cup car.... The Renault Megane Trophy is in the top three of my track drive wish list. 

".lap times similar to the GT3"....Porsche might issue a press release claiming Renault is cheating!

You can find the specs on this Renault Press Release








NEW MÉGANE TROPHY: ON TRACK FOR THE 2009 WORLD SERIES BY RENAULT

Having starred in the World Series by Renault's premier saloon car championship since the
creation of the WSR in 2005, Mégane Trophy has undergone a raft of radical modifications in
readiness for the 2009 campaign. The most visible change concerns its new body design which
takes its inspiration from the lines of New Mégane Coupe. Under the bonnet, a fresh look has also been taken at the Renault-Nissan Alliance's V6 3.5 24V powerplant which now delivers 360hp. At the same time, Renault Sport Technologies has carried over many of the acclaimed features of the current Mégane Trophy to produce a reliable, competitive and affordable racing car.

There can be no mistaking New Mégane Trophy's resolutely sporty calling and pedigree thanks its stunning looks which are based on the design of New Mégane Coupe. The front and rear light units and windscreen are those of the road car, while the designers at the Renault Technocentre have made full use of digital simulation technology in the realm of fluid mechanics to hone the flowing lines of the bodywork. New Mégane Trophy also carries over the ground effect aerodynamics of the existing car:

- The front splitter channels airflow to the extractors,
- Rear downforce is generated by the diffuser and wing. 

Refinements to the set-up have produced a 20% improvement in downforce and a 15% reduction in drag which, together, represent a gain of almost 40% in terms of the new car's aerodynamic performance over the previous generation machine.

New Mégane Trophy is equipped with butterfly doors redolent of the world of GT and sports-prototype racing.  Under its composite outer skin, New Mégane Trophy features the same mechanicals as the current car, including an FIA-homologated sports-prototype tubular chassis, a mid-rear V6 3.5 24V engine, a semi- automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddle shift, double wishbone suspension with adjustable dampers, 18-inch wheels and Michelin tyres, etc.  A new inlet manifold, which is fed by roof-mounted air-ducts, has taken engine power from 330 to 360hp.  The new car's reliability is as excellent as ever with rebuild intervals of every 5,500km. Combined with the aerodynamic gains, the extra power output of the V6 3.5 24V engine will enable New Mégane Trophy to lap in times similar to those of a Porsche GT3.

After completion of its development programme, New Mégane Trophy will go on sale at the end of the year in the form of a kit that will enable existing cars to be upgraded. The modifications required to adapt the chassis to the new bodywork will be carried out by the Alpine factory in Dieppe.
As in previous years, the Eurocup Mégane Trophy will form part of the World Series by Renault programme and its calendar takes in some of Europe's most prestigious venues. This single-make series, which is a hit with drivers and teams alike, is based on the same core strengths that have forged the success of Renault Sport's race championships, namely:

- A perfectly level playing field thanks to rigorous scrutineering checks and the outlawing of tuning of
the majority of components,
- Contained costs thanks to restrictions relating to tyres and private testing,
- Extensive media coverage thanks to live television, plus the opportunity to race in meetings that have attracted two million spectators since 2005. 

In the course of each race weekend, drivers contest two races of a duration of approximately 40 minutes each and which include a mandatory refuelling stop. Mégane Trophy has been widely praised for its simplicity and the ease with which drivers are able to familiarize themselves with the cars, while the series is aimed at upcoming youngsters who have come up through the ranks of single-seater formulae and gentleman drivers.

Renault is busy....but the Internet wants more!

After all the excitement over the super cool Megane R26.R, Renault fans are hungry for more.

The next generation Megane, now minus the funny looking rear, is being hot tested in the United States. Renault is said to be resurrecting the Alpine brand much like FIAT is using the Abarth scorpion for it's sportiest offerings and the blue Megane is a Photoshop rendering of a possible RS-Alpine. The copper colored car is the real car.

I wonder if the success of the Nissan Versa, nothing but a Megane in a boring suit, might tempt La Regie to try some hot FWD hatch VW Scirocco fighters in the US one day...

Tracktard Cool

Renault Megane R26.R
A new trend, factory stripped cars. Fiat has the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse, now something much juicer, a version of the Megane F1 that is a full 123kg/271lbs lighter and comes with a real limited slip differential and titanium exhaust.

450 of these little track toys will go on sale in the fall (none for us...). Their should embarrass quite a few fancy cars at the Nürburgring next year. As it is it set the Nürburgring lap record for front wheel drive cars with 8:17! For reference, that is faster than an e46 M3, an Exige S or a Cayman S...

More pictures and video after the jump...

Radical Renaults

A play on words, these racers have about as much in common with a real Megane as a Radical has to a road car (sorry Radical but your claim that you have the road car record of the Nordschleife is ludicrous!).

But hey who cares? I bet CG will join me when I say I would LOVE to have a go with one of these hatchbacks. Sorry, no Americans allowed, we are told by marketers that Americans hate hatchbacks so a French hatchback would really be out of the question! ;O)



check out the cool instrument display on this short clip. Look when the car "re-boots" and it looks like a gt4 screen!



Fo reference this is what the sportiest of the real Meganes looks like. Surprisingly, the R26 (now there is an R27) got rave reviews from EVO magazine, in their track test it obliterated the latest TypeR by over 4 seconds on a 1:36 lap!!