After the Pikes Peak race in the United States, Volkswagen tackled another myth of motorsport with its ID.R prototype, which improved the lap record of an electric car by more than 40 seconds. famous Nordschleife of the Nürburgring circuit.
The Volkswagen ID.R, the 500 kW (680 hp) electric racing prototype of the German brand, has won a new highly symbolic record. Led by Romain Dumas, she beat the previous e-record held by the NIO EP9 on the Nordschleife circuit of the Nürburgring circuit (Germany) by more than 40 seconds.
In 2017, the electric supercar swallowed the 20.8 kilometers of “Green Hell” in 6 minutes 45.90 seconds. The Volkswagen ID.R slammed a 6 minute 5.33 seconds at an average speed of 204.96 km / h. A dizzying performance, but still far from the record set in July 2018 by the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (5 minutes 19.55 seconds, 233.8 km / h average) driven by Timo Bernhard.
D.R also shined at Goodwood Festival of Speed
However, ID.R can boast an even more flattering record. In June 2016, Romain Dumas smashed the all-time Pikes Peak (US) hill climb record with a time of 7 minutes 57 seconds and 148 hundredths, 16 seconds better than Sébastien Loeb’s previous mark. And a few weeks later, the ID.R performed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, setting the fastest time for electric cars with a run of 43.86 seconds.
To cope with the dreaded Nordschleife, the aerodynamics of the ID.R has been altered compared to the configuration adopted for the Pikes Peak race. Instead of seeking maximum support, Volkswagen has targeted a speed as high as the possible peak. The German manufacturer explained that chassis tuning, energy management, and tire selection were the key factors in this record attempt. What will be the next challenge for ID.R? To be continued.