After conquering one of the world’s most famous hill climbs, Volkswagen is looking to take its I.D. R Pikes Peak around the Nürburgring Nordschliefe.
The all-electric racer and the Volkswagen Motorsport crew is going for the lap record at the ‘Green Hell’ – which is regarded by many as the toughest race track in the world.
The 12.9-mile Nordschliefe (Northern Loop in English) is used as a proving ground for many performance cars and is nestled in the Eifel mountains in Western Germany.
Weighing less than 1,100kg when the driver is on board, the I.D. R uses two electric motors that develop a combined 671bhp, and despite the car originally being built to tackle the unique conditions of Pikes Peak, Volkswagen will perform extensive testing at the track before attempting to break the current record in the summer.
The current electric vehicle lap benchmark was set by British driver Peter Dumbreck behind the wheel of a NIO EP9 in 2017. He recorded a time of 6:45.90 – one of the fastest laps ever around the track.
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As with the record-setting Pikes Peak run, Frenchman Romain Dumas will behind the wheel of the I.D. R for the Nürburgring run.
On the announcement of the record attempt, Dumas said: “The thought of driving the ID. R on the Nordschleife is already enough to give me goosebumps. I know the track very well, but the ID. R will be a completely different challenge, with its extreme acceleration and huge cornering speeds.
“I can hardly wait for the first tests. Breaking the existing electric record will certainly not be a stroll in the park.”
