Fancy winning a brand new Honda Civic Type R - For a year at least, well, you can, just drive a simulator.

Fastest lap time round the Ring wins a Civic Type R

Honda (UK) is offering fans the chance to win an all-new Civic Type R for a year by setting the fastest time around the notorious Nürburgring Nordschleife in a state of the art simulator.

Coming to a shopping centre or public event near you throughout the summer, Honda is throwing down the gauntlet to plucky challengers to take on the ‘Green Hell’ to celebrate both the arrival of the hotly-anticipated Type R in UK dealerships, and its record lap time around the famed circuit.

The target for budding race drivers is to get as close to the Honda record as possible; Honda test drivers achieved 7 minutes 50.63 seconds – the lap record set on the 12.9 mile track by a pre-production model of the new Civic Type R in May 2014. Once they’ve set their time anxious hopefuls will be able to keep an eye on the competition on a live leader board at www.kingofthehell.com or by using the Twitter hashtag #WinnerTakesR. The fastest lap at the end of the last event scoops the top prize.

The King of the Hell roadshow kicks off at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherds Bush on Friday 17^thJuly for three days, before heading out to 17 other locations across the UK. Full details of venues and dates can be found at www.kingofthehell.com.

Leon Brannan, Head of Cars for Honda (UK) comments: “The buzz is really starting to reach fever pitch now as we head closer to the extreme new Type R arriving in our UK dealerships. Knowing the commitment and passion of our Type R fans I know they’ll be ready to take on this challenge, so we look forward to seeing what they’ve got!”

Billed as a ‘Race car for the road’, the new British-built Honda Civic Type R is the most extreme and high-performing model to ever wear the acclaimed ‘Red H’ badge. With a high-revving all-new two litre VTEC TURBO engine, advanced new suspension systems, stand-out function-led styling and a new +R track mode it is set to bring new standards to Europe’s high-performance front-wheel drive hatchback segment. Peak power output is 306BHP, with the engine red-lining at 7,000rpm, delivering a class-leading top speed of 167mph and 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds.

In May 2014 a pre-production model of the Type R set an outstanding record lap time of 7 minutes 50.63 seconds around the legendary 12.9 mile circuit. The time was achieved during the final phase of pre-production testing, with the car in a standard state of engine tune with suspension, drivetrain, exhaust, brakes and the aerodynamic package identical to those of the production Civic Type R. 

The removal of equipment such as air conditioning, the front passenger seat and audio equipment offset the additional weight of a full roll cage (installed specifically for safety reasons and not to add rigidity).

Nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’ by F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart, the Nordschleife is regarded as the most challenging and daunting circuit in the world, with 154 corners, large bumps, cambers and surface changes. The original track hosted the German Grand Prix between 1931 and 1976, after which it was modified in response to several driver boycotts over safety concerns.