Following its record-breaking run at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Volkswagen’s ID. R electric sports car is targeting another record in the summer of 2019: the lap record for electric cars on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, regarded as the toughest racetrack in the world.
The ID. R, which is being further developed for the record attempt at the Nürburgring, is powered by two electric motors with a system capacity of 670 hp and weighs less than 2,500 pounds, including the driver. Modifications to the car for the German track will focus on aerodynamics changes.
Unlike the US classic on Pikes Peak, which starts at an altitude of more than 9,000 feet and ends at 14,115 feet, the Nordschleife winds its way through the Eifel region at between 1,050 and 2,024 feet above sea level. The iconic German circuit has a very unique characteristic, not least due to the long Döttinger Höhe straight.
To prepare for the Nurburgring, the Volkswagen team will put the ID.R through an intense test and development program on race tracks in Europe through the spring.
The multi-talented Romain Dumas will be at the wheel again for the record attempt. He won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with the ID. R Pikes Peak in June 2018 and, with a time of 7:57.148 minutes, became the first driver in over 100 years of this iconic race to go under eight minutes. The Frenchman also has four victories in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring to his name.
The current record for fully-electric vehicles stands at 6:45.90 minutes—at an average speed of almost 115 mph—and was set in 2017 by Britain’s Peter Dumbreck in a NIO EP9.
A comparatively narrow track—13 miles long, with no fewer than 75 corners, and regularly climbing or descending through the Eifel forests—the Nordschleife, which was opened in 1927, is one of a kind and continues to serve as an outstanding test environment for the automobile industry.
Former Formula 1 world champion, Jackie Stewart, once respectfully called the circuit the “Green Hell.” Today, the Nordschleife—together with the modern Grand Prix Circuit—is primarily known as the venue for the famous 24-hour race. It’s also become the unofficial standard for speed and maneuverability trials for vehicles of all stripes.
The ID. R is the sporty ambassador to an entire range of electric vehicles, which Volkswagen plans to launch from 2020 onwards. The ID. R’s motorsport assignments are a declaration of Volkswagen’s commitment to electromobility and underline the huge potential power that e-drive can deliver on regular roads in the future.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.