Romain Dumas knows the Nordschleife – the most challenging race track in the world – like the back of his hand. Until now, however, only from the perspective of the cockpit. He has won the notorious 24-hour race here four times already. “The Nordschleife is my favourite track,” says the man who is aiming to set a new lap record for electric vehicles in the ID.R. “Even though I’ve driven thousands of kilometres here, I still get goose bumps when I drive out of the pit lane for the first time in a while. It is one of the few race tracks that still inspires such respect from me.”
And one that pushes Dumas to the limits as well – including outside of the cockpit. For example, the section that bears the harmless-sounding name ‘Ex-Mühle’ (which refers to the ‘mill’ outside of Adenau), surprises Dumas on an exclusive walk along the Nordschleife. “I’ve participated in races at the Eifel-track since 2007 yet I’ve never once experienced this place on foot,” admits the Frenchman, somewhat out of breath, as he climbs the 17-percent inclined hill at the 9th kilometre.