Pikes Peak – Romain Dumas confirmed with Volkswagen

Last October, (see Ah n°2137), AUTOhebdo told you that Romain Dumas appeared to be the big favorite to drive the 100% electric prototype that Volkswagen Motorsport will begin on June 24 on the slopes of the legendary climb of Pikes Peak (Colorado).

The German brand confirmed the information this Wednesday, making official the Gardois who will line up at the start of an event where he has already competed three times with his different Norma M20s.

An important experience for the return of Volkswagen, 30 years after the entry of a twin-engine Golf, then driven by Jochi Kleint. The latter did not fail to send a small gift to Romain Dumas, in a video broadcast via Volkswagen Motorsport's social networks.

“Pikes Peak is a big challenge because each driver only has one attempt, recalls Romain Dumas. But I really have confidence in Volkswagen Motorsport. The team is very motivated and has already shown many times that it is capable of succeeding in unfamiliar territory.

“Romain is one of the fastest drivers to have participated in the Pikes Peak race, declared for his part, Sven Smeets, boss of Volkswagen Motorsport. Plus, he has thousands of miles of experience with racing prototypes under his belt. This makes him the ideal driver for Volkswagen as it debuts with a fully electric racing car. »

Avowed objective for the Wolfsburg firm: to beat the climb record for a 100% electric car, established in 8'57″118 by Rhys Millen. This type of propulsion will also present numerous advantages on a technical level compared to thermal blocks which suffer as they increase in altitude.

“There is a big advantage to having an electric car: the power remains constant over the twenty kilometer journey, comments Romain Dumas. I'm really looking forward to being able to drive from the start at 2862 meters to the finish line without losing power for the first time. »

Removed from its program in WRC against the backdrop of Dieselgate, Volkswagen Motorsport has supported the VW Sweden PSRX's entry in World RX since last year, with the arrival of an electric series in mind.

The entry of an electric prototype at Pikes Peak thus follows this logic, as does the orientation of the German road range towards models using this type of propulsion. “This allows us to demonstrate the effectiveness of Volkswagen's future battery and powertrain technology in a competitive environment, specifies Sven Smeets.

The added challenge is that the Pikes Peak Trail is a normal route, where weather and road conditions are more often subject to change. »

Romain Dumas rajoute ainsi une nouvelle épreuve à son programme très chargé en 2018. Avant de revenir à Pikes Peak pour ce challenge d’importance, le Gardois retrouvera une voiture de course plus conventionnelle ce week-end avec les 12 Heures de Bathurst en Intercontinental GT Challenge, avec une Porsche 911 GT3 R.