Now, what’s next?
Another record has been set by the Volkswagen ID.R for fastest run. After breaking the records at Pikes Peak, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and Nurburgring-Nordschleife (for an electric vehicle), the performance electric machine completed the 99 corners of the spectacular Tianmen Shan Big Gate Road on the Tianmen Mountain in China for a record time of 7:38.585 minutes.
Romain Dumas, motorsport ambassador for Volkswagen’s fully-electric ID range, was behind the wheel. He covered the route at speeds up to 143 miles an hour (230 km per hour). Dumas drove “brilliantly” through 99 hairpins with some having a radius of only six meters. For notarial purposes, the section was designated by a start-finish line.
Ralf Brandstatter (CEO of VW) commented, “A new record at a truly stunning road – Volkswagen has once again demonstrated what the electromobility is capable of today.” It has proven that electric cars such as the ID.R can set new benchmarks and break existing records, but it also shows how emotional and exciting the mobility for the future is.
Two electric motors powered the ID.R at 680 horsepower each (500 kilowatts). This twin-motor setup was also used for previous record runs at Nurburgring and Goodwood. The race car was equipped with a custom-made set of Bridgestone Potenza tires to provide optional traction for the high-speed run through China.
After the record run, Dumas stated that he will always remember Tianmen Mountain’s record run as his most memorable outing. I am proud to have broken the record in China with the electric Volkswagen ID.R. It was a difficult task due to the little testing and information we had. The road is narrow and windy, but it was a great drive with the ID.R’s electric power.