You'll hardly need reminding about the particulars of this face-off, but for those of you who spent the summer stuck under a fallen tree, the Honda Civic Type R is new and very good, and the Focus RS has been tweaked by Ford's favourite tuning company to produce 375hp.
We're just on the road here; which ought to favour the Focus a little more than the track did - not least because it now produces nearly as much torque as a V8 Mustang. Having said that, the Civic is cheaper, less thirsty and nicer inside. And, to drive, is easily the most complete Type R yet built.