This summer, Volkswagen’s all-electric I.D. R racer will try to break a lap record on their home turf.
Last year, the Volkswagen I.D. R smashed records at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Now, once again with driver Romain Dumas behind the wheel, Volkswagen aims to conquer another record. This time, it’s one much closer to home — the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. The current track record stands at 6:45.90 minutes, set in 2017 by Peter Dumbreck in a NIO EP9. Will Volkswagen end up shattering that record? We’ll have to see this summer.
The so-called “North Loop” of the Nürburgring is a whole different animal to Pikes Peak. The whole Nordschleife course runs for 12.9 miles over 154 turns, and has stood as one of the ultimate benchmarks of a car’s performance. To make sure they don’t miss, Volkswagen claims to have further developed the I.D. R for the challenge. The company’s all-electric racer uses two electric motors to develop a combined system capacity of 670 horsepower. On top of that, the car only weighs 2,500 pounds, so it will definitely be quick.
Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets said of the challenge, “A lap record on the Nordschleife is a great accolade for any car, whether a race car or a production car. After the record on Pikes Peak, the fastest time for electric cars on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is the next big challenge for the I.D. R.” Winding thorugh the Eifel mountains, Sir Jackie Stewart, three-time Formula One champion, nicknamed the track “The Green Hell”.
The car’s setup won’t be exactly the same as when it tackled Pikes Peak, according to Volkswagen Motorsport Technical Director François-Xavier Demaison. “As part of our meticulous preparations…we will put the I.D. R through an intense test and development program at various racetracks in the spring.” Volkswagen hasn’t announced an exact date when Dumas will go for the record just yet.
Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates! Check out more on Volkwagen’s all-electric racer at Pikes Peak below:
