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Honda Civic Type R clocks 7:50.63 front-drive 'Ring record

Lapping the Nurburgring in under seven minutes may be the ultimate bragging right for supercars, but further back down the field, a battle is being waged between front-drive hot hatches to see which can scope a lap time under eight. Seat was first to claim the crown with the Leon Cupra at 7:58, which was subsequently beaten by the Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy-R at 7:54. All the while Honda pledged to take the record with the new Civic Type R. And that's just what it's done. As you can see from the video above, Honda's new hot hatch clocked a time of 7:50.63, making it the fastest front-driver ever to lap the Nordschleife and blindingly fast by any account. Honda suggests that the lap was clocked while testing the stock street-legal rubber (and not on slicks) and claims that the roll cage clearly seen in the video was fitted "for safety reasons and not to add rigidity," with extraneous equipment like the front passenger seat and audio system were removed to compensate for the cage's weight. Of course with no official sanctioning body verifying these times and the equipment in which they're achieved, they're a subject of much debate, but there's no getting around the fact that the new Civic Type R is one very serious piece of machinery indeed. NEW HONDA CIVIC TYPE R THROWS DOWN NURBURGRING GAUNTLET - Honda announces Nurburgring lap time for Civic Type R development car - 7 minutes 50.63 seconds lap time is unmatched in the front-wheel drive hot hatch class - Lap time achieved in development car with technical specifications representative of the final production car At the world premiere of its all-new Civic Type R at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show (5 - 15 March; Stand 4250, Hall 4), Honda announced that a development car had achieved a 7 minutes 50.63 seconds lap time of the legendary 20.8 km/12.9 mile Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany. This time is unmatched by any other front-wheel drive performance hatchback. The lap time was achieved during the final phase of pre-production testing in May 2014 by a Civic Type R development car. The development car was in a standard state of engine tune, with suspension, drivetrain, exhaust, brakes and the aerodynamic package identical to those of the production Civic Type R. The removal of equipment such as air conditioning, the front passenger seat and audio equipment offset the additional weight of a full roll cage (installed specifically for safety reasons and not to add rigidity).

Takata allegedly hid failed airbag rupture tests in 2000

New evidence suggests Takata engineers knew about the dangers of the supplier's ammonium-nitrate-propelled airbag inflators as early as 2000, but employees hid or even destroyed test results. The allegations came out in a pre-trial hearing in a civil suit from a woman who claims that a forcefully deploying airbag in her 2001 Honda Civic paralyzed her. The pre-trial hearing included an examination of a deposition from Thomas Sheridan, a former Takata airbag engineer, to see if the evidence was admissible for the case, according to the New York Times. Sheridan alleged that Takata created a report for Honda in June 2000 that showed the parts failed, but the supplier hid the testing data. The company also reportedly got rid of the ruptured components so that there was no physical evidence. "But when I went to look for the parts, because some of the parts had come apart, they were no longer available. They had been discarded," he said in the deposition, according to the Times. Takata disputes these allegations, and one of the company's lawyers asserts the inflators in the 2001 Civic are safe. "None of them have ruptured, zero," attorney David M. Bernick told the Times. "We have no evidence, in fact we have evidence to the contrary, that this inflator was defective at the time of the accident." However, Honda has recalls for the driver's side airbag in the 2001-2005 Civic. Previous reports also indicated some Takata employees allegedly knew the inflators were dangerous. For example, an investigation by the Wall Street Journal in 2015 cited internal memos from US employees in 2000 that complained that their counterparts in Japan altered or hid the results of failed validation tests. The New York Times also found evidence of engineers joking about manipulating results. The first Takata inflator recall came on Isuzu models in 2001, and automakers have recalled millions of vehicles around the world since then. Several companies, including Honda, have pledged to stop using Takata's inflators, and he US government fined the supplier $70 million last year. Related Video:

Honda Ridgeline sorta takes class victory on Baja race debut

The Ridgeline Baja Race Truck was unveiled at SEMA earlier this month to serve not only as Honda's new off-road racing platform, but also as a preview for the upcoming second-generation pickup. Technically, it scored a class victory on its race debut in the SCORE Baja 1000. To be fair, it was also the only vehicle in that class. Though clearly a purpose-built racer, not a modified from showroom stock truck, the Baja truck features bodywork patterned after the forthcoming production model – especially at the front end. It also uses the same block, cylinder heads, and crankshaft as the 3.5-liter V6 that powers the current Ridgeline and will power the upcoming one. In race trim, it's been twin-turbocharged up to 550 horsepower. Honda Performance Development and Proctor Racing Group entered the custom-built Ridgeline in Class 2 (for forced-induction engines up to 3.6 liters) at the Baja 1000 this past weekend. Driving duties were shared by Honda spokesman Sage Marie and experienced off-road racers Jeff Proctor and Jason LaFortune. They completed the 821-mile loop to and from Ensenada, Mexico, in 25 hours, 9 minutes, and 47 seconds. That's about ten hours behind the Ford F-150 trophy truck and the Honda CRF450X that won outright, but that's beside the point. It's impressive enough that the truck finished on its debut in such a grueling race under such punishing conditions, even if it didn't have any competition. Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck Conquers Baja 1000 Nov 22, 2015 - ENSENADA, Mexico - Off-road racing truck debuts with Class 2 victory - Completes desert endurance event in first attempt - Racing machine previews second-generation Honda Ridgeline Developed by Honda as a preview to the introduction of the new, second-generation Honda Ridgeline, the driving trio of Jeff Proctor, Sage Marie and Jason LaFortune piloted their Ridgeline Baja Race Truck to the Class 2 victory in this weekend's 48th running of the SCORE Baja 1000. Built jointly by Honda Performance Development, the North American motorsports arm of American Honda, and the Proctor Racing Group, the tube-frame Unlimited Class 2 off-road Ridgeline Baja Race Truck made its competition debut at the brutal Baja event, which this year consisted of an 821-mile loop that started and finished in Ensenada, Mexico.