The UK's most powerful front wheel drive hot hatch, the Mazda 3 MPS, was put to the test at the Nürburgring to see how it would shape up on what is arguably the most demanding, exhilarating and treacherous track in the world.
Mark Ticehurst, a touring car veteran who's no stranger to Mazda's whilst competing in the Britcar Production S1 Series in an RX8, put the 260ps mean machine through its paces. And just like the rotary machines he drove in the series, this Mazda 3 MPS was a bog standard showroom model, the only additions being the Sports Aero Kit which is an option extra on the car.
So how did it fare?
Having to wait until the circuit closed, due to spending a lot of time dodging Bikes, he finally got his foot down to to record a lap time of 8 minutes and 39.66 seconds. That’s just 4.64 seconds off the lap record.
Ticehurst is absolutely elated with his time. “That was just off the scale. I drove it as hard as I could – I wasn’t thinking about the lap time! I think it says a great deal about the Mazda 3 MPS, that I could just get in it and drive it around a circuit that I hardly know and get within striking distance of the lap record. It’s one of the best things I have ever done in a car. Ever.”
The best thing, that is, until the summer when he heads back to the Ring to have a real crack at the lap record.