Volkswagen ID.R drive the fastest all-electric lap around the Nurburgring
Jun 13, 2019
Thirty-six years ago, one of the world’s fastest race cars – a Porsche 956 – tore around the 12.9 miles of the Nürburgring Nordschelife race track in a scant 6 minutes, 11.13 seconds. That record stood for more than three decades as an ultimate testament to power, engineering and skill, only falling to an experimental Porsche last year that was custom-built for the task.
Last Monday, that record was surpassed for the second time – by an all-electric car.
The Volkswagen ID.R electric race car that set a record for climbing Pikes Peak last year now owns the record for fastest electric car around the Nürburgring. Driver Romain Dumas made the lap in 6:05.336 minutes beating the previous EV record set in 2017 by 40.564 seconds – and in the process, surpassing every fossil-fuel powered record at the track save one.
“To be a record-holder on the Nordschleife makes me unbelievably proud,” says Dumas. “For me, this is the best and most difficult race track in the world. The ID.R was perfectly prepared for the Nordschleife and it was so much fun to experience the blistering acceleration and rapid cornering speeds.”
With a redesigned aerodynamic package meant to maximize the 670-hp ID.R’s top speed, Dumas averaged 127.36 mph around the course. As you can see from the video below, at that speed the Green Hell becomes a frightening blur of hills and curves.
Volkswagen ID.R sets new electric record on the Nürburgring
Jun 3, 2019
- 6:05.336 minutes – the Volkswagen ID.R has driven the fastest emission-free lap of all time on the most difficult race track in the world
- Volkswagen driver Romain Dumas beat the previous record by 40.564 seconds
- Following the record on Pikes Peak and the e-record in Goodwood, this is the third record for the ID.R
Wolfsburg — Volkswagen has achieved another milestone in electro-mobility: The ID.R, powered by two electric motors, lapped the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in 6:05.336 minutes – faster than any electric vehicle before it. Romain Dumas (F) beat the previous record set by Peter Dumbreck (GB, NIO EP9) in 2017 by 40.564 seconds. With an average speed of 204.96 km/h, the ID.R once again underlined the impressive performance capabilities of Volkswagen’s electric drive. This 500 kW (680 PS) emission-free race car is the racing flagship of the future fully electric ID. product family from Volkswagen.
“The Nordschleife of the Nürburgring is not only the world’s most demanding race track, it is also the ultimate test for production vehicles,” says Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group. “The ID.R has mastered this challenge with great distinction and has completed the fastest emission-free lap of all time. As further proof of its impressive performance capabilities, Volkswagen’s e-mobility can now proudly call itself ‘Nürburgring-approved’. I congratulate the team from Volkswagen Motorsport and driver Romain Dumas on the third record for the ID.R.”
Within just twelve months, Volkswagen Motorsport has already set three track records with the ID.R. On June 24, 2018, Romain Dumas achieved the absolute track record of 7:57.148 minutes at the renowned Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (USA). Just three weeks later, he achieved a new best time for electric cars of 43.86 seconds at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in southern England. The new record on the legendary Nordschleife has now been added to this successful run.
For Romain Dumas, who is a four-time winner of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, the record lap with the ID.R is another highlight on his favorite track. “To be a record-holder on the Nordschleife makes me unbelievably proud,” says Dumas. “For me, this is the best and most difficult race track in the world. I want to thank the team at Volkswagen Motorsport, who have once again done a fantastic job. The ID.R was perfectly prepared for the Nordschleife and it was so much fun to experience the blistering acceleration and rapid cornering speeds.”
With the e-record on the Nordschleife, Volkswagen has once again demonstrated the performance capabilities that come with electric mobility. “This impressive success story is the result of meticulous preparation by our engineers, the flawless work by the whole team during testing and of course a perfect driving performance by Romain Dumas,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets.
To prepare for the Nürburgring Nordschleife challenge, Volkswagen Motorsport gave the ID.R a complete makeover compared to the record outings on Pikes Peak and in Goodwood in just five months. “For this evolved version of the ID.R, the aerodynamic configuration was more strongly adapted to the highest possible speed, rather than maximum downforce,” explains François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director. “With extensive test laps in the simulator and on the race track, we adapted the ID.R to the unique conditions of the Nordschleife, focussing mainly on chassis tuning, energy management and optimal choice of tyres for the record attempt.”
New Volkswagen ID. R makes its debut at the Nürburgring Nordschleife
- Following last year’s record at Pikes Peak, the ID. R has been redeveloped to set the electric lap record on the Nürburgring
- Volkswagen launches ID. R virtual racing simulator on RaceRoom
Wolfsburg —The Volkswagen ID. R electric race car makes its world debut today, having been in continuous development following last year’s success at setting the outright record at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Denver, Colorado. The racing flagship of Volkswagen’s future electric product family has one goal—to set a new electric vehicle lap record on the 12.9-mile-long Nürburgring-Nordschleife. In order for driver Romain Dumas to undercut the current best time of 6:45.90 minutes, Volkswagen Motorsport has redeveloped the ID. R and testing begins tomorrow on the Nürburgring. Fans, however, can virtually drive the ID. R today, as Volkswagen reveals a racing simulator that can be downloaded free of charge.
“The ID. R’s mission to be the spearhead of the fully electric ID. product family continues in full force,” says Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director. “Once again, in 2019, 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 shows the way ahead for electric drivetrains in Volkswagen motorsport. To see the ID. R take to this legendary race track for the first time will be a moment guaranteed to give you goose bumps.”
The ID. R’s 670 horsepower electric drivetrain has been adapted to the unique characteristics of the Nordschleife. Two lithium-ion battery blocks serve as energy storage on board the ID. R, and were constructed with expertise from Volkswagen’s product development team. The battery structure is comparable to the technology that will be used in the future production vehicles from the ID. family.
The most striking feature of this evolution of the ID. R is the aerodynamics, which are designed for a higher top speed. “Last year, the number of turns and the thin air at Pikes Peak demanded maximum downforce,” explains François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director of Volkswagen Motorsport. “On the Nordschleife lap, the ID. R will reach an average speed of more than 112 mph—with a top speed on the straight of up to 168 mph. We have therefore developed a completely new aerodynamic package using DRS, the drag reduction system known from Formula 1, as well as optimising the energy management, which controls the power output of the two electric motors and energy recovery under braking.”
The DRS is essentially a hydraulically-adjustable element on the rear wing of the ID. R, through which driver Romain Dumas can reduce the air resistance of the vehicle by about 20 percent at the touch of a button. “In contrast to Formula 1, the DRS on the ID. R serves not to overtake, but to improve efficiency,” explains Demaison. “The ID. R has a very powerful drivetrain. The DRS helps to use this performance with lower energy consumption, so that it can continue being deployed for the entire lap of the Nordschleife.”
Driver Romain Dumas has won the famous 24-hour Nürburgring-Nordschleife race four times. Nevertheless, he will treat the track with a lot of respect as he goes into the upcoming first test run. “I have already driven the Nordschleife with the ID. R on the simulator countless times. But you only get the true feeling from the incredibly high cornering speeds 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,” says Dumas.
But Dumas will not be the only one to have the opportunity to drive the ID. R on the Nordschleife. Volkswagen has launched an online racing simulation for the free-to-play racing simulator RaceRoom, in which the gamer can take the ID. R to the world-famous track and compete with Romain Dumas—with the option to use virtual reality glasses as well. The computer vehicle model was created based on original ID. R data, while the engineers from Volkswagen Motorsport have given the game developers deep insights into the driving dynamics of the car in order to make the driving experience as realistic as possible.
