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Added on the 02/03/2018 16:15:15 - Copyright : Auto Moto EN
Fresh from its triumphant world debut last month, the Lotus Emira is making its first appearance in the USA… with a very special driver at the wheel.Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button put the all-new petrol-powered sports car through its paces at Laguna Seca Raceway.Like Lotus, Jenson was in California for Monterey Car Week, the Radford 62-2 – a reinterpretation of the Lotus Type 62 to be manufactured using Lotus technology – recently received its world premiere ahead of making its public debut with the Emira on the Lotus stand at The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering.Jenson Button stated after his drive that “This is such a great circuit, most road cars on tracks don’t work, but this does.”The Emira is an all-new mid-engined sports car that perfectly embodies the ongoing transformation of the iconic British sports car manufacturer. Its striking design is delivering exotic supercar appeal in sports car segment, with inspiration from the Lotus Evija hypercar clear in its fluid surfaces and crisp feature lines.
Inspired by the ‘Type R Challenge 2018’ which took place at legendary European race tracks, the Honda Civic Type R has set the benchmark lap time for a front-wheel drive production car around the iconic Mount Panorama race circuit at Bathurst, Australia.Driven by 2009 Formula One world champion, 2018 Super GT Series champion and Honda ambassador, Jenson Button, the factory specification Civic Type R recorded a 2 minute 35.207 second (2:35.207) lap around Australia’s greatest racetrack.Mount Panorama is best known as the home of the Bathurst 1000 motor race, held each October. An incredibly challenging track for both man and machine, it’s technically a street circuit, as it is as a public road for 350 days each year when no racing events are being conducted. The current layout is 6.213 km in length with 23 corners and a 174-metre vertical difference between its lowest and highest points, not to mention gradients as steep as 1:6 or more than 16 per cent.Button holds the unofficial lap record for the Mount Panorama circuit, a spectacular 1:48.8 lap time set in a Formula One car in 2011 as part of a special event to promote the Australian Grand Prix, so it was fitting that he was the driver to set a benchmark time in the Civic Type R.
One race before the last one, Jenson Button was already able to ascertain the World Champion Title by coming in fifth at the Grand Prix in Brazil. In doing so he also ensured his team Brawn the Constructor's Championship.
"In the fifth and final of a planned series of lap record attempts across Europe in 2018, Honda has set a new 2min 10.19sec record for a front wheel drive production car at the Hungaroring GP circuit in Hungary. The Civic Type R was driven by Formula One World Champion and current NSX Super GT driver, Jenson Button. The track holds special significance for Button, as the circuit where he won the first Grand Prix of his career with Honda in 2006. The Hungaroring circuit is a twisty and narrow 4.38km track with 180-degree corners and a complex chicane, making it one of the more technical tracks in Europe. However, this proved to be a perfect demonstration of the Civic Type R’s Adaptive Damper System, delivering a firmer, flatter ride and greater agility for high-performance handling around the tight circuit. Alongside the suspension system, the unique steering setup and improved aerodynamics enabled Button to secure the lap record for Honda at the Grand Prix circuit."
Ahead of the F1 Grand Prix race in Monaco this weekend, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport driver Lewis Hamilton discusses the sport and reveals his travel secrets and guilty pleasures when on the road. In a film released today, the four-time Formula One World Champion also reflects on first-race excitement, winning four world titles, facing the 2018 race season head-on, memorable circuits and meeting fans across the world. Through the Marriott Rewards and SP loyalty programmes, fans can also get the chance to meet Lewis Hamilton as well as some of the world’s top athletes, musicians and chefs. But what’s that one essential Hamilton recommends you should never leave home without? Hand sanitising wipes. The meticulous traveller recommends giving the seat area a good wipe down first. You never know who was in that seat before you! Speaking on film, the frequent flier gives the inside track on taking advantage of those hours buckled in to your seat; don a pair of high quality headphones and lose yourself in your favourite playlist; a good book helps wile away the time and will send you to the land of nod so you arrive at your destination energised. If in-flight movies are more your style, treat yourself to a little chocolate (not too much) and for max-comfort, throw a fresh t-shirt and pair of sweat pants into your carry on bag.
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