First tests for Romain Dumas and the VW ID. R at the Nürburgring

Barely unveiled in its “Nürburgring” version, the 100% electric prototype Volkswagen ID. R took to the track this Friday on the legendary Nordschleife to begin specific testing as a preamble to the North Loop lap record attempt for an electric car, scheduled for this summer.

Romain Dumas was put to work on a circuit where he won four times in the 24 Hour race, and was able to evaluate the work carried out by the German engineers.

“The cornering speeds of the ID. R are much higher than I'm used to in GT race cars, recalls the Gardois. But I feel good in the cockpit and that's really important here.

The Nordschleife has bigger and more bumps than the circuits we have tested on so far. So we focused on tailoring the shocks and ride height to the unique characteristics of this track. »

Volkswagen Motorsport was able to validate its running program, demonstrating that recent preparation simulations provided a good correlation with the track.

“We took great care to ensure that the I.D. R is perfectly suited to this unique circuit, particularly with regard to the chassis, comments Sven Smeets, director of Volkswagen Motorsport.

Energy management already works very well. Thus, we were able to work as planned on the main points of the test program, while comparing various racing tires from our partner Bridgestone. »

The record for a 100% electric car at the Nürburgring remains the property of NIO with the EP9, with a reference established in 6'45″90.