99 turns to the heaven’s gate

What's the challenge of the track? 

Tianmen Mountain is deeply rooted in Chinese mythology. The mountain, measuring 1,519 meters and located about 1,300 kilometres southwest of Beijing, is considered the gateway to heaven. The summit is reached driving up a 10,906 meter long road with 99 curves called "Tianmen Mountain Big Gate Road". It was completed in 2006 after eight years of construction.

Despite its young age, it has already earned mythical status: the locals speak respectfully of it, winding its way up the mountain like a flying dragon. The destination of the road is the “Heaven’s Gate”, a natural 131.5 meter-high rock erosion in Tianmenshan (“Heaven’s Gate Mountain”). The last meters to the sightseeing location are served by a 45-degree incline of 999 steps.

The 99 bends have it all: almost every one of them is a tight hairpin curve, separated only by concrete blocks from the steeply sloping abyss. The rhythmically winding sections appear to be stacked. Concrete slabs form the surface and provide sufficient adhesion, but also an extremely bumpy surface. Curve 88, for example, with its radius of only around six meters and a track width of between five and six meters, is a bottleneck that can probably be negotiated at a speed of just 25 km/h. The concrete slabs are also very bumpy. On the longest section, the Volkswagen ID.R, on the other hand, will reach a speed of about 230 km/h.

Which car is up for the hill climb?

A power output of 500 kW (680 PS), driven by two electric motors, accelerates the ID.R faster than a Formula One car (2.25 seconds from 0-100 km/h).

As the sporty spearhead of the fully electric production vehicles belonging to the ID. Family, the ID.R combines the high potential of electrically powered vehicles with the emotion and fascination of motorsport. There are not only technical, but also optical parallels. Similar to future production vehicles of the ID. Family, ID.R requires comparatively few openings in the body to allow for air cooling to flow in. “The electric motors require little cooling,” explains Hervé Dechipre, the engineer responsible for the ID. R’s aerodynamics, adding that “the ID.R requires fewer air intakes than conventional racing cars, which is a major aerodynamic advantage.” 

In China, the Volkswagen ID.R is competing for its record attempt at Tianmen Mountain with a special sticker. A strong red color also visually pushes e-mobility to the forefront; it stands for the fifth record attempt of the purely electrically powered prototype.

The sides of the racing car are also adorned by the stylized silhouette of Tianmen Mountain and its 99 hairpin bends, supported by the motto “Race the Future”.

The ID.R is already a motorsport legend! The electric racing car achieved the absolute track records at the Pikes Peak (USA) hill climb, the Goodwood Festival of Speed (GB) as well as the lap record for an electric vehicle at the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife (Germany) completely emission-free. The best time on the Nordschleife was also the most energy-efficient lap ever recorded on the traditional circuit in the Eifel.

The ID.R is also of great importance for the technological transfer to series production vehicles. “Since the project began, around two years ago, we have learned an incredible amount about e-mobility, software, battery management and charging technology, and we have also been able to use this knowledge for series development,” says Jürgen Stackmann, member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen with responsibility for sales, marketing and after sales.

“Tianmen Mountain itself, but also the Big Gate Road, are simply breathtaking,” says Dumas. “This is where spectacular nature meets the spectacular art of road construction. To conquer this mountain over this road at racing speeds is a real challenge for a driver. I am treating it with the utmost respect.”

Why this brave attempt?

With the record attempt of the ID.R at Tianmen Mountain, Volkswagen’s China E-Offensive is spectacularly presented. Frank Welsch, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Development Volkswagen Passenger Cars: “With the ID.R we have repeatedly shown how powerful Volkswagen cars with electric drive already are today. From 2020, we will be bringing ID. models – an entire product family of purely electric vehicles – to the market. As the sporty flagship of these future production models, the ID.R combines technical electric drive competence with the emotions and fascination of motorsport.”

“With the ID.R, we want to prove once again that electric mobility is not only fun, but also powerful and efficient. The clear message of the ID.R is: electric mobility is emotional and fascinating,” explains Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand with responsibility for Sales, Marketing and After Sales.

It is also important that the ID.R. completes the route without local carbon dioxide emissions. “China will play a pioneering role in terms of sustainable mobility, digitalization and new mobility services,” says Stephan Wöllenstein, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Brand and CEO of the Volkswagen Brand in China. “From 2020, the Volkswagen brand in China will have ten electrified models in its portfolio, followed by the market launch of the all-electric ID. product family based on the innovative MEB platform. By 2023, ten fully connected ID. models with different body styles will be on the road in China.”

Where can the event be followed online?

Fans can find the latest information on the race on 2 September here https://volkswagen-motorsport.com.