The Honda Civic Type R continues to set benchmarks after posting a front-wheel-drive production car lap record at Spa Francorchamps. The hot hatch monster recorded a scintillating lap time of 2:53.72 at one of the world’s most famous race tracks, doing so with the help of Super GT driver and LMP2 champion Bertrand Baguette.

The Honda Civic Type R isn’t messing around. Its recent conquest of the Spa Francorchamps race track is the latest in a series of track attack blitzes the hot hatch has embarked on since it broke the same front-wheel-drive production car lap record at the famed Nurburgring. Remember that? Remember when the Civic Type R turned in a lap time of 7:43.08, the fastest lap time among FWD production cars?

Well, it seems that the Civic Type R didn’t just celebrate its Nurburgring triumph in a traditional way. Instead, it plotted a plan to go to other race tracks and set lap records there. It accomplished a similar feat last month when it went to the Magny-Cours circuit in France and posted a lap time of 2:01.51, which also happened to be a lap record.

From there, it was Spa, where LMP2 champ Bertrand Baguette took care of business. "For me as a race car driver, it’s clear that Type R is born for the track," he said. "But it also feels just as right on the streets in everyday driving. When I sit in the car, it is very comfortable and the visibility all round is very good."

The track-hopping, record-breaking exploits of the 316-horsepower Civic Type R isn’t done yet. It already has three lap records under its belt, and, according to Honda, there are still plans to tackle other tracks, including Silverstone, Estoril, and a bunch of others. Baguette also isn’t the only racer Honda has tapped to help the Civic Type R achieve world dominance. The Japanese automaker actually planned this through, even creating a team of racers that also includes former F1 world champion Jenson Button.

So Spa is the latest race track to bow down to the Civic Type R. Judging by how the hot hatch has been taking down lap records one after the other, Spa probably won’t be the last, either.

Honda Civic Type R Performance Specifications

Engine Type

Turbocharged In-Line 4-Cylinder

Turbocharger

Single-Scroll MHI TD04 with Internal Wastegate

Boost Pressure

22.8 psi

Displacement (cc)

1,996

Horsepower (SAE net)

306 HP @ 6,500 RPM

Torque (SAE net)

295 LB-FT @ 2,500-4,500 RPM

Fuel economy (City/Highway/Combined) (mpg)

22 / 28 / 25

Curb Weight (lbs.)

3,117

0 to 60 mph

4.9 seconds

Quarter-mile

13.5 seconds at 108 mph

Top Speed

169 mph


References

Read our full review on the 2017 Honda Civic Type R.

Read our full review on the 2018 Honda Civic.

Read more Honda news.