Volkswagen has presented the version of its ID R electric race car that will attempt to set a new lap record for electric vehicles on the 20.8km-long (12.4 mile) Nurburgring – Nordschleife in Germany.
The record attempt is the first test for the ID R on the Nürburgring – Nordschleife.
Last year the ID R broke the record for the 12.42-mile Pikes Peak Hill Climb by more than 15 seconds with a time of 7min 57.148s.
Sven Smeets, director of Volkswagen Motorsport, said, “Once again the ID R will demonstrate the great potential of electric drive, combining emissions-free technology with true emotion. The Nürburgring –Nordschleife is the next step on the journey of the ID R, a car that provides a symbol of the future significance of electric drive in all of motorsport at Volkswagen.”
Volkswagen has further developed the ID R so that driver Romain Dumas can undercut the until-now best lap time of 6:45.90 minutes at Nurburgring – Nordschleife.
The 500kW (680ps) electric drive of the car, which is powered by two lithium-ion battery packs, has been adapted to the track characteristics of the Nordschleife.
In addition, the aerodynamics of the car have been designed to enable a higher top speed. François-Xavier Demaison, technical director of Volkswagen Motorsport, said, “Last year, the many-cornered hill-climb track and the thin air at Pikes Peak demanded maximum downforce. On the Nordschleife lap, the ID R will reach an average speed of more than 180km/h (112mph) – with a top speed on the straight of up to 270km/h. We have therefore developed a completely new aerodynamic package with DRS (Drag Reduction System), known from Formula 1, as well as optimized the energy management, which controls the power output of the two electric motors and energy recovery under braking.”
Driver Romain Dumas said, “I have already driven the Nordschleife with the ID R on the simulator countless times. But the true feeling from the incredibly high cornering speeds you only get when you’re on the actual track.
“The extent to which the ID R has been continuously developed compared to 2018 is impressive. I can’t wait to finally drive the ID R on the Nordschleife.”
