Volkswagen: Milestone with the ID.R 🎥
RECORD ON THE NORTH LINE The ID.R electric prototype driven by Romain Dumas circled the Nürburgring at an average of almost 207 km/h. The third record for Volkswagen Motorsport in twelve months. Another milestone for Volkswagen's electric mobility: In 6:05.336 minutes, the ID.R powered by two electric motors circled the 20.8-kilometer Nürburgring Nordschleife faster than any electric vehicle [...]
Another milestone for Volkswagen's electric mobility: In 6:05.336 minutes, the ID.R powered by two electric motors circled the 20.8-kilometer Nürburgring Nordschleife faster than any electric vehicle before. Frenchman Romain Dumas, who lives in Arzier above Lake Geneva, improved the previous record set by Peter Dumbreck in an NIO EP9 in 2017 by 40.564 seconds.
Faster than the legendary Group C
With an average speed of 206.96 km/h, the ID.R once again underlined the high performance of Volkswagen's electric drive. This also meant that Dumas was faster than the unforgettable Stefan Bellof 36 years ago in a Porsche 956 C, who was the first race driver to drive around the Nordschleife at an average speed of more than 200 km/h in practice for the 1000-kilometer race in 1983. Bellof's historic time of 6:11.13 was only beaten by Timo Bernhard last year in a Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo in 5:19.55, although like Dumas he also had a clear track and much more modern technology.
This makes the ID.R the second-fastest vehicle ever on the Nordschleife. The 500 kW (680 hp) zero-emission race car is the sporty harbinger of the all-electric production vehicles in the ID. product family from Volkswagen.
Three records within twelve months
Within twelve months, Volkswagen Motorsport has set no less than three track records with the ID.R. On June 24, 2018, Romain Dumas won the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (USA) with an absolute track record of 7:57.148 minutes. Three weeks later, he set a new best time for electric vehicles at the "Goodwood Festival of Speed" in southern England at the wheel of the ID.R in 43.86 seconds.
Now came the next e-record on the legendary Nordschleife. For Romain Dumas, who has already won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring four times, the record drive with the ID.R was another highlight on his favorite track.
Romain Dumas: "Being the record holder on the Nordschleife makes me incredibly proud. For me, this is the best and most difficult race track in the world. Many thanks to the Volkswagen Motorsport team, who once again did a fantastic job. The ID.R was perfectly prepared for the Nordschleife and it was just fun to experience that tremendous acceleration and the high cornering speeds."
Evolution version of the ID.R for special conditions of the Nordschleife
Compared with the record-breaking drives at Pikes Peak and Goodwood, Volkswagen Motorsport had extensively developed the ID.R for the Nürburgring-Nordschleife challenge in just five months. The aerodynamic configuration was designed more for top speed than for maximum downforce. With extensive test drives in the simulator and on the race track, the ID.R was adapted to the unique conditions of the Nordschleife. This primarily involved the tuning of the suspension, energy management and the optimum tire selection for the record drive.
A lot of know-how in the T-Roc R
Of course, the series also benefits from Volkswagen Motorsport's experience. Not only electromobility. For example, a lot of know-how flowed into the development of the new T-Roc R. We'll report on that on Wednesday.
