Record-setting Volkswagen ID.R Headed to Goodwood to Defend Title
Aiming for a second consecutive victory, Romain Dumas will return to West Sussex in July in a new ID.R prepared specifically for Goodwood.
Last year, the Volkswagen ID.R made waves in the automotive community by setting a new electric vehicle record for the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hillclimb at a blistering 43.86 seconds. Driver Romain Dumas commandeered the VW to victory despite damaging his rear wing in the process. Volkswagen recently announced that Dumas will return with the ID.R to this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 4-7) in hopes of defending his title. The time set by Dumas and the ID.R overtook the previous EV record set in 2013 by 3.48 seconds and was the fastest time in 15 years.
Dumas, a French professional driver, is a four-time winner of Pikes Peak and two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Of those four wins at Pikes Peak, Dumas also set the overall record while driving the ID. R prior to his Goodwood victory. Further adding to their accomplishments, Dumas and the ID. R set a NĂĽrburgring lap record.
For this years’ title defense, Volkswagen intends to improve on the ID.R even more by creating a special variant specifically for Goodwood.
“We have developed another evolutionary stage of the ID.R, a sprint version with smaller batteries, in order to further reduce weight,”said François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director for Volkswagen Motorsport. “We have also opted for a far more aggressive energy management strategy for the short distance. You need very high output for a very short time for the sprint in Goodwood.”
‘The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a fascinating bridge between the past, present, and future of the automobile. As such, it is the perfect stage on which to demonstrate the performance of Volkswagen’s electric technology.’Â
Currently, the all-wheel-drive ID.R boasts an output of 680 horsepower, 479 pound-feet of torque, and a weight of 2,425 lbs. VW claims a 0-62 time of 2.25 seconds and a top speed of 150 mph. With the help of a massive rear wing designed by Porsche’s LMP1 program, streamlined chassis, and a flat bottom, the ID.R flaunts incredible aerodynamics. Faster times should be no issue given the reduced weight and more aggressive power delivery explicitly engineered for the short circuit.
Back-to-back victories would be quite the accomplishment for the VW team at an event as prestigious as the Goodwood Festival of Speed, an annual event held since 1993 that draws nearly 180,000 automotive enthusiasts to West Sussex, England, each year. Current stars and racing legends battle head-to-head in both modern and classic vehicles alike as auto manufacturers vie for glory and bragging rights. The yearly festival hosts a weekend of rally, motorcycle, Formula, and contemporary racing events along with an auto show. This makes Goodwood the perfect proving grounds for VW Racing to step out of the shadow of sibling manufacturers Audi and Porsche.
“The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a fascinating bridge between the past, present, and future of the automobile,” said Dr. Frank Welsch, a Member of the Board of Management for Volkswagen’s Technical Development. “As such, it is the perfect stage on which to demonstrate the performance of Volkswagen’s electric technology.”
As Volkswagen gears up for its title defense, one thing we can all be sure of is another groundbreaking run and entertaining show in West Sussex from July 4 to 7.
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