Volkswagen Wants to Own the Fastest Car at the Nrburgring

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Having already set a lap record for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year, Volkswagen’s I.D. R has served the company well. Intended to showcase the brand’s might in electrification, the blisteringly fast R is as much a purpose-built track car as it is a marketing tool, and its long-term plans involve setting more records.

For 2019, VW wants to set a new lap record at the Nürburgring. Officially, the German automaker is only interested in defeating the Nio EP9’s record for electric vehicles. But we know that the I.D. R is a forced to be reckoned with. An overall victory would not be beyond the realm of possibilities and Volkswagen knows it.

While VW has previously confirmed it wants to set as many records with the R as it can, it was Autocar that learned Volkswagen Motorsport has booked time at the German track for a series of exclusive runs beginning next May. The goal is set to precede the brand’s launch of the first electric I.D. production model during the third quarter of 2019.

“We’re still at an early stage of preparation, but we’ve already seen lap times below 5min 30sec in the simulator,” an insider with direct knowledge of Volkswagen Motorsport’s Nürburgring plans told Autocar. “There’s more to come, we’re sure.”

Assuming those times represent reality, that would place the car within striking range of the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo that Timo Bernhard throttled around the track in just under 5 minutes and 20 seconds. However, VW has some work to do before it’s ready. The ID R Pikes Peak prototype was specially built to tackle hill climbs, requiring Volkswagen Motorsport to modify the vehicle extensively for Nürburg.

From Autocar:

The revisions are set to include a new aerodynamic package, allowing for a higher top speed than the 150mph of the car in Pikes Peak form. Further changes will focus on the electric drive system.

Romain Dumas drove the car at Pikes Peak, and he will be retained for the Nürburgring record bid. While he was initially chosen by Volkswagen for his Pikes Peak knowledge, he is a four-time winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours. He’s also a long-time works Porsche driver and has twice won the Le Mans 24 Hours for the firm, including once in a 919 Hybrid.

There are a few things holding the I.D. R and Dumas back, though. Weather conditions can always ruin an attempt and Volkswagen will have to contend with a series of races and events at the Nürburgring scheduled for May and June. That means VW will have very few opportunities to run the car wide open and without traffic. It also promised to bring the car to next year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place at the start of July. “It will be tight,” the source said. “But we’re confident we’ll get at least one good run at it before we begin preparations for Goodwood.”

[Images: Volkswagen Group]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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