Communiqués de presse

New MEGANE R.S TROPHY-R: record at the Nürburgring for the best-performing model ever marketed by Renault

Renault presents MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R, a new version of a saga begun 15 years ago, that has set like its iconic forerunners a new record on the Nordschleife in front-wheel-drive production car category. It perpetuates Renault Sport’s passion for challenge and performance.

Compared to the Megane R.S. Trophy, the Renault MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R, equipped with the same 300 hp engine, owes its increased speed to the weight reduction (up to 130 kg), the work on aerodynamics and the more radical development of its chassis for road holding.

The Renault MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R will be launched on the market before the end of 2019, as an exclusive limited edition of a few hundred units only.

Renault Sport has built on a partnership with some of the most recognised specialists in their disciplines: Akrapovič, Brembo, Bridgestone, Öhlins and Sabelt

MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R sets a 07’40’’100 new record on the Nordschleife 20.600 km lap, and a 07’45’’389 reference time on the official whole lap of 20.832 km.

Le 21 May 2019

With drivers from the Renault F1@ Team Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg behind the wheel, on 24 May in Monaco, on the fringes of the Formula One Grand Prix, the MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R will make its first physical appearance.

In the tradition of Renault Sport, this new generation of MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R does not only owe its performance to its pure power, since its 300 hp engine is that of Megane R.S. Trophy, launched in early 2019. The MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R was developed as a racing car in a very short time, by a small dedicated team that operated in agile mode by focusing on three aspects: maximum weight reduction (up to 130 kg compared to the Megane R.S. Trophy excluding options), reworked aerodynamics and a more radical development of its drive axles.

The result is truly breath-taking: on 5 April, 2019, the MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R set a new officially approved record and reference time for the compact car segment of production cars on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, now a world-renowned race track and proving ground for cars and sports performance. It covered the 20.600 km in 07’40’’100, and the official whole lap length of the Nordschleife 20.832 km in 07’45’’389.

The story of the Megane R.S. and the “Ring” has been going on for more than 10 years. It started in 2008 with the very first record in the front-wheel-drive production car category: Megane R.S. R26.R completed the lap in 8'17'’. A time that was shattered 3 years later, in 2011, by the second generation Megane R.S. Trophy version, in the hands of the car's driver-builder, Laurent Hurgon (8'07''97). In 2014, it passed under the 8-minute mark (7'54''36) for the first time with the Trophy-R version of the Megane III R.S. He was also the one who drove the latest generation of MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R to set this new reference time, in a chase for records in which gaining every second has become that much harder.

The MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R will be marketed before the end of 2019 as an exclusive limited edition of a few hundred units.

Renault F1@ Team drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg will be behind the wheel when the MEGANE R.S. TROPHY-R makes its first public appearance on 24 May, 2019, the Friday before the FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO.

Renault Sport has built on the solid support of privileged partners: Akrapovič for the exhaust system, Brembo for the brakes,

Bridgestone for the tyres, Öhlins for the shock absorbers and Sabelt for the bucket seats.

Nordschleife: a new official course length for lap times and records. Until this year, most of the lap times and so far unofficial records were registered on the 20.600 km course (start of lap time clocking at the end of the Nordschleife start/finish straight at T13, end of lap time clocking at the start/finish line at the beginning of the start/finish straight at T13). From 2019, the official course formalized by the Nürburgring is the 20.832 km whole lap of the Nordschleife with start and end of lap time clocking at the start/finish line of the Nordschleife track. In this context, the Megane R.S. Trophy-R time is categorized in the compact cars class (only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications).

Watch the video of the record on YouTube

Find out more about Megane R.S. Trophy-R

Renault Sport, competition is in its DNA

The sports cars designed and developed by Renault Sport are heirs to Renault's 120 years of experience in motor racing and 40

years of presence in Formula 1 ^® . The Renault Sport range has inherited technologies directly derived from competitive racing, the

fruit of a close co-operation between the Renault Sport Cars and Renault Sport Racing engineers. Renault Sport also instils the

spirit of motor sports into all its events, such as the R.S. Days.

About Renault

Renault, the biggest French brand in the world, is active in 134 countries in nearly 12,000 sales outlets. For 120 years, Renault has made life easier for its customers. With sensual and warm designs, and as European leader in electric vehicle and commitment to motorsports, it is passion that drives the brand on a daily basis.

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