The Volkswagen ID.R has followed up its Pikes Peak and Goodwood speed records by setting a new lap record at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife for an electric vehicle – lapping the track in 6:05.336 minutes.

A tweaked version of the Volkswagen ID.R which has set e-records at both Pikes Peak and Goodwood Festival of Speed has now added the electric speed record to its belt by lapping the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in 6:05.336 minutes, a staggering 40-seconds quicker than the previous lap record for an electric vehicle, set by the N10 EP9 in 2017.

“The Nordschleife of the Nürburgring is not only the world’s most demanding race track, it is also the ultimate test for production vehicles,” said Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management at Volkswagen Group.

“The ID.R has mastered this challenge with great distinction and has completed the fastest emission-free lap of all time. As further proof of its impressive performance capabilities, Volkswagen’s e-mobility can now proudly call itself ‘Nürburgring-approved’. I congratulate the team from Volkswagen.”

As mentioned, this is the third record for the ID.R and they’ve all been set within the last 12 months. On 24 June 2018, Romain Dumas achieved the absolute track record of 7:57.148 minutes at the renowned Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (USA). Just three weeks later, he achieved a new best time for electric cars of 43.86 seconds at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in southern England.

The 500kW ID.R was driven by four-time 24-hour race at the Nurburgring, Romain Dumas. He said: “To be a record-holder on the Nordschleife makes me unbelievably proud,” says Dumas. “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.”

The VW ID.R was tweaked to take on the Nurburgring, according to the company’s technical director, François-Xavier Demaison. “For this evolved version of the ID.R, the aerodynamic configuration was more strongly adapted to the highest possible speed, rather than maximum downforce.

“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.”