The Renault Clio Trophy has nuked its rivals at the Nürburgring

Renault’s latest Clio Trophy is fast. Really fast. Eight minutes, 23 seconds around the Nürburging fast.

That’s the time that’s just been posted by German magazine Sport Auto, as it compared a bunch of diddly hot hatchbacks. And in doing so, Renaultsport's 217bhp, 1.6-litre Trophy managed to beat Audi's four-wheel-drive, 228bhp 2-litre S1 Quattro by nearly 20 seconds…

Ignore the murky issues of variables like weather and driver ability - because that’s no fun - and the Clio’s time is even more startling.

At 8:23, the Clio 220 Trophy is quicker around the Green Hell than the fastest quoted times for the Lotus Exige S, Audi RS4 and - incredibly - the bonkers, 300bhp mk2 Focus RS.

It’s also a mere second slower than the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, six seconds behind Renaultsport’s racecar-like Megane R26.R, and ten seconds shy of the V10 BMW M5 that went on to earn its crust as a Ring Taxi.

While motoring journalists (um, like us) may bemoan the fast Clio’s switch to turbocharged engines and paddleshift auto gearboxes, and the decrease in involvement it’s brought, there’s no knocking the stupendous effect it’s had on circuit pace.

But lets revisit those murky issues listed above: without solid regulations, are Ring times irrelevant? Or are the fisticuffs they inspire all part of the fun? Get clicking below…

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