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Volkswagen I.D. R sets sights on Goodwood Hillclimb record

It was fast in Colorado, can the I.D. R be fast in the UK as well?


Hot on the heels of its triumph at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, Volkswagen is letting the all-electric I.D. R loose at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The all-wheel drive tearaway will be piloted by Romain Dumas, who has his sights set on breaking yet another pure-electric record. Along with the I.D. R, the twin-engine 1987 Golf that inspired it will be on show at the Goodwood event, although Dumas is understandably keen to talk about his new, electric whip.

"I am really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the I.D. R Pikes Peak at the Goodwood Festival of Speed," Dumas said.

"The I.D. R Pikes Peak may still be very young, but the record-breaking run on Pikes Peak has already made it a living legend.”

At the moment, the all-time record up Lord March's driveway is 41.6 seconds, set by Nick Heidfeld in a McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13 F1 car. The all-electric marker, set by Jonny Cocker in a Lola-Drayson B12 69/EV, stands at 47.34 seconds.

Power in the I.D. R comes from a pair of interlinked lithium-ion batteries mounted either side of the cockpit. They feed two electric motors, one on each axle, pumping out a combined 500kW and, well, we don't know how much torque – Volkswagen is keeping its cards close to its chest on that one.

A sophisticated torque-vectoring system means torque can be shuffled from wheel-to-wheel as required for maximum grip, while regenerative braking gives the brakes a helping hand on the fly.

Ahead of Pikes Peak, VW credited its tricky brake-by-wire setup for the system's performance, and suggested Romain Dumas won't know when the mechanical brakes or regenerative system are pulling the car up.

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