An emission-free record

This was the moment for which the Volkswagen Motorsport team has put in months of hard work with the ID.R – countless test laps, modifications to the electronics systems, and adjustments to the chassis and aerodynamics. All leading to success.

On Monday, 3rd of June 2019, the wait is finally over. Romain Dumas guides the ID.R onto the 20.8-kilometre Nordschleife circuit. The Pikes Peak record holder triggers the timekeeping, then it is Dumas against the clock. Exactly 6:05.336 minutes later, the news everyone had been hoping for comes through: The ID.R has set the fastest lap ever by a fully-electric car on one of the most famous racetracks in the world. Dumas smashes the existing e-record by a full 40.564 seconds. It is the second-fastest officially announced time ever on the iconic circuit, which was inaugurated in 1927.

“For me, the Nordschleife is the best and most difficult racetrack in the world. I am incredibly proud to hold the E-record here,” said a jubilant Dumas at the finish. The Nordschleife is the Frenchman’s favourite circuit and he has won the famous 24-hour race there on four occasions. “The way the team upped its game consistently during the test phase and on the day of the record attempt was particularly impressive. Ideally, I would go straight back out for another attempt.”

“For me, the Nordschleife is the best and most difficult racetrack in the world. I am incredibly proud to hold the E-record here,” said a jubilant Dumas at the finish. The Nordschleife is the Frenchman’s favourite circuit and he has won the famous 24-hour race there on four occasions. “The way the team upped its game consistently during the test phase and on the day of the record attempt was particularly impressive. Ideally, I would go straight back out for another attempt.”

The ID.R’s new record on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is another milestone for electromobility at Volkswagen. With an average speed of 204.96 km/h, the ID.R underlines the mighty potential of this drive concept, with two electric engines generating 500 kW (680 PS). As the sporty forerunner to the ID. range of products, the ID.R offers a spectacular insight into Volkswagen’s future fully-electric production vehicles.

Three records in twelve months

On the Nordschleife, Volkswagen Motorsport and Dumas wrote a new chapter in the ID.R success story: They now have three records within twelve months to their name. On 24 June 2018, Dumas won the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (USA) with an all-time record of 7:57.148 minutes. Just three weeks later, again at the wheel of the ID.R, the Frenchman set a new record time of 43.86 seconds for electric vehicles at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in southern England. The new e-record on the famous Eifel-track is now the third in this impressive collection.

“This impressive success story is the result of comprehensive preparations completed by our engineers, the optimal work done by the whole team during tests and, of course, perfect driving from Romain Dumas,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets after the latest record run.

Evolution of the ID.R

With the Nordschleife posing its own unique challenges, the team at Volkswagen Motorsport had just five months to complete extensive modifications to the ID.R compared to the car that set new records on Pikes Peak and in Goodwood. “The aerodynamic configuration of the evolutionary version of the ID.R is geared more towards top speed than maximum downforce,” explained Francois-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director at Volkswagen Motorsport. “The unique conditions on the Nordschleife also represented a major challenge for the chassis set-up, energy management and tyre selection.” Dumas described the performance of the improved ID.R this way: “In some corners, it was my body setting the limit, not the car”