Volkswagen ID R smashes Pikes Peak hill climb record

THE ALL-ELECTRIC Volkswagen ID R prototype racing car has smashed the outright record at the Pikes Peak hill climb course by a massive 16 seconds.

Driven by the Pikes Peak veteran and multiple endurance race winner Romain Dumas, the Volkswagen ID R set a time of 7m 57.148s on the 12.42-mile course. As a result, the ID R is also the first ever car to set a sub-8m time at Pikes Peak.

On top of smashing the previous record, set by nine-time rally champ Sebastien Loeb in 2013, Dumas and the ID R ended up obliterating the former record for electric vehicles at the famous event in Colorado.

The previous record for ‘unlimited’ all-electric cars, set by Pikes Peak legend Rhys Millen, stood at 8. 57.118s; almost a whole minute slower than Dumas’ 2018 time.

Amazingly, there was potential for Romain Dumas to go even faster up the ‘Race to the Clouds’. Though rain, which had been threatened, didn’t fall, cloud cover did reduce visibility on the mountainside course, according to the team.

Despite going from concept to record-smashing reality in a mere 250 days, the Volkswagen ID R always had the potential to set a blisteringly fast time at Pikes Peak, with immediate torque at zero revs from the electric motors, no loss of power at higher altitudes from its 670bhp powertrain, and bespoke aerodynamics.

Speaking after the event, Romain Dumas declared: “That everything ran so smoothly is an incredible feeling, and the new record on Pikes Peak is the icing on the cake. I still cannot believe that Volkswagen and my name are behind this incredible time.”

He added: “The team did an indescribably meticulous, yet at the same time relaxed, job. Not only did we get the desired result, but the team spirit was also spot on. I am incredibly proud to have been a part of it.”

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Video: VW’s new ID R Pikes Peak electric racer is as fast as F1 car