TC Euro Cars, the sole franchise holder of Renault vehicles in Malaysia, recently organised its first track session of the year at Sepang International Circuit. Held regularly since 2010, these high-speed track sessions are designed to offer enhanced ownership experience for Renault Sport owners. They also provide an opportunity for potential customers to test the performance and handling of Renault Sport cars.
A total of 30 Renault Sports owners put their skills and vehicle performance to the test in as many adrenaline-pumping laps around the track as they could complete within the allocated 4-hour session.
These track enthusiasts, with their Megane R.S., Clio R.S. and even a couple of limited-edition Megane R.S. 275 Trophy R, eagerly checked their lap times often, not only to see how they performed against other vehicles, but also to beat their personal records.
In the end, the best recorded lap times among the owners were 2:37:234s for the Megane R.S. 275 Trophy R while the Megane R.S. 250 achieved 2:39:422s. Their achievement underscores how Renault Sport’s expertise and technologies deliver on high performance that showcases true racing DNA.
The track day was also attended by professional racing driver Denis Lian, who put the Megane R.S. 265 variants and Megane R.S. 275 Trophy R through their paces. The official lap times he achieved are as follows:
Megane R.S. 275 Trophy R – 2:24:350s.
Megane R.S. 265 Cup – 2:41:000s
Megane R.S. 265 Sport – 2:44:350s
For first-time drivers, instructors were also available to provide guidance on driving and handling while tackling track.
Meanwhile, several prospective buyers were taken on ‘taxi rides’ around the circuit by professional drivers. The Renault Megane R.S. 275 Trophy R is a radical special edition that takes advantage of the latest Renault Sport technology upgrades and other new state-of-the-art equipment to deliver the performance, dynamism and handling that rivals a real racing car. As was illustrated at the Nürburgring Nordschleife – often considered the most demanding circuit in the world – the Renault Megane R.S. 275 Trophy-R covered the 20.832 km in just less than eight minutes, an impressive time for a front-wheel drive production model.
Offering unrelenting performance and exceptional road-handling the track-ready Megane R.S. 265 Sport and facelifted Megane R.S. 265 Cup deliver maximum power of 265hp and peak torque of 360 Nm. With a 6-speed manual transmission, both Megane R.S. 265 variants are capable of going from 0 to 100km/h in 6 seconds, with a top speed of 255km/h.
The day’s session began with registration of the participants to receive their driver’s band. As always, safety is top priority TC Euro Cars and Renault and only drivers with a band are allowed on the track. Another pre-requisite before the drivers can hit the track is the safety briefing, regardless of whether the participant is an expert or seasoned track driver.
After the safety briefing, excited drivers made their way to the pit to attach the required participation stickers and fit the GPS transponder at the front of their cars. The transponder enables each driver to have their lap times recorded. While participants are not racing amongst each other, they are racing against their own record to try and set better lap times – a great way to benchmark the car’s and their own overall performance.
In addition to having a fun and safe way to maximise the performance of their cars, Renault track days also help build camaraderie amongst like-minded car enthusiasts. TC Euro Cars plans to organise more Renault Sport track day through the year, as part of its commitment to deliver superior ownership experience to its customers. The company also supports the R.S. Collectif club which has grown to over 180 members since it official started in 2013. Owners of Renault Megane R.S. and Clio R.S. who are interested are welcome to join the club via their Facebook page.
For more information about Renault in Malaysia, please visit www.renault.com.my or www.facebook.com/RenaultMalaysia.
