Volkswagen I.D. R smashes Nurburgring lap record

Volkswagen has utterly destroyed the Nurburgring electric lap record, with its I.D. R racer smashing the existing time by more than 40 seconds. 

Eclipsing the previous time set by the Nio EP9 in 2017, the I.D. R has set a new lap record of just 6mins05.336secs, which is also almost 40 seconds quicker than the fastest production car, the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. 

The Volkswagen I.D. R set a 6:05.336 lap time.

The average speed for the I.D. R’s record-setting lap was a staggering 206.96km/h, and the car hit a top speed of 256km/h on the lap. 

While the Nio EP9 produced 1000kW of power (1341hp), the I.D. R reportedly produces half of that, at 500kW, proving the importance of aerodynamics. The I.D. R also did five laps of the 20.74km circuit on a single charge. 

Driven by Porsche factory driver Romain Dumas, who has won the Nurburgring 24 Hour race four times, the I.D. R’s aerodynamics were modified from its Pikes Peak record-setting run in 2017, with a focus instead on speed over downforce. 

The lap time is one of the quickest lap times ever recorded at the Nurburgring.

“For this evolved version of the ID.R, the aerodynamic configuration was more strongly adapted to the highest possible speed, rather than maximum downforce,” explains François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director of the I.D. R. 

“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.”

While the I.D. R is not scheduled for production in its current form, its engineering will spread to Volkswagen’s new I.D. electric sub-brand, of which the first production models are due to be revealed later in the year.

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