Hillclimb champion to prove itself more than a one-trick pony.
German marque Volkswagen got claimed the glory back in June when, with a purpose-built ID R Pikes Peak all-electric racer, it took the crown as the fastest overall vehicle at this years' Pikes Peak hillclimb event. The single-seat LMP-1 spec racer might’ve been the belle of the ball there, but rest on its laurels it will not – instead, VW intends to take it to the hallowed Nürburgring Nordschleife, where they plan to take the outright title there too (away from fellow Volkswagen Group brand Porsche, no less).
For some context, the ID R Pikes Peak was built for purpose, taking on that LMP-1 like form because it allowed for maximum aerodynamic force for the hillclimb. So equipped, the car managed to hike up the Colorado hill in just 7-minutes 57.15-seconds, making it the fastest entrant in the Pikes Peak event this year.
For the Nürburgring attempt, Volkswagen would have to significantly revise the setup on the ID R, given that the elevation changes in the Green Hell are not nearly as much as they are on Pikes Peak. There would also have to be some changes made to the electric drive system as the ‘Ring is considerably longer than Pikes Peak, which would bring into consideration things like range, and degradation.
An insider with knowledge of Volkswagen Motorsports’ plans said to UK rag Autocar:
“We’re still at an early stage of preparation [to take the Nürburgring lap title], but we’ve already seen times below 5-minutes 30-seconds in the simulator. There’s more to come, we’re sure.” — Insider
The ‘Ring won’t be the end of it, either. Volkswagen has already committed the ID R to a run at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, which puts the Motorsports team in a bit of a tight spot time-wise. They’ll have to take a run at the Nordschleife soon in order to give them enough time to begin preparations for Goodwood, but the insider reckons it won’t be too big of an issue.
“It will be tight, but we’re confident we’ll get at least one good run at it before we begin preparations for Goodwood.” — Insider
If the ID R Pikes Peak manages to tame the Nürburgring, it would take away two titles in one fell swoop. First up would be the EV title, held by Chinese startup Nio and their EP9 (06:45:90), with the second being the outright title, held by the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (05:19:55) that was set with Timo Bernhard at the wheel.
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