Volkswagen has claimed the fastest emission-free lap time ever recorded at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with Romain Dumas completing the 20,81 km lap in an astonishing time of 6:05,336 minutes (40,564 seconds quicker than the previous record held by the Nio EP9).
To achieve the record-breaking time, the Wolfsburg-based automaker’s performance electric vehicle, which previously broke the all-time Pikes Peak record (watch the video here), had to undergo a “complete makeover” to adapt to the conditions of the Green Hell.
“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,” François-Xavier Demaison, technical director at Volkswagen Motorsport, said.
The aerodynamic configuration was also modified to allow for the highest possible speed.
Director of Volkswagen’s motorsport division, Sven Smeets, attributed this achievement to meticulous preparation by the firm’s engineers, the flawless work of the entire team during testing and, of course, Dumas’s driving.
“For me, this is the best and most difficult race track in the world,” Dumas said. “To be a record-holder on the Nordschleife makes me unbelievably proud.”
