Volkswagen ID.R sets new Nürburgring electric lap record

Volkswagen ID.R topples the electric lap record at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with a time of 6:05.336 minutes.

The Volkswagen ID.R can now add the famous Nürburgring-Nordschleife to its list of lap records set, following its success at Pikes Peak, where it set a record time of 7:57.148 minutes. Just three weeks after that the car set a record time for electric vehicles at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with a time of 43.86 seconds. Following several practice sessions, the Volkswagen ID.R set a record time of just over six minutes around the infamous German circuit. It beats the previous electric lap record set by the NIO EP9, by 40.5 seconds.

Volkswagen ID.R Nurburgring

Volkswagen ID.R

Volkswagen created the ID.R to attempt to win at Pikes Peak initially, but following the success there attention soon turned to the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. The 680hp racer is now the racing flagship for the company’s ID electric range. It is powered by a battery pack made up of eight modules with 56 cells each, divided into two blocks that are next to the driver and behind the monocoque.

Romain Dumas

Average speed

Over the lap, it had an average speed of 206.96km/h. Speaking after the lap, Romain Dumas, said: “To be a record-holder on the Nordschleife makes me unbelievably proud. For me, this is the best and most difficult race track in the world. I want to thank the team at Volkswagen Motorsport, who have once again done a fantastic job. The ID.R was perfectly prepared for the Nordschleife and it was so much fun to experience the blistering acceleration and rapid cornering speeds.”

Volkswagen ID.R Nurburgring

Ahead of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, the car underwent a series of updates and modifications, as the performance requirements were quite different to the high-downforce needed for the high-altitude Pikes Peak Hillclimb. The rear wing was made smaller, reducing downforce by around 20 per cent. Other tweaks to the floor and front section of the car further helped airflow and cooling for the battery.

Watch the lap