Reposted from Corkscrewd.blog
THE ID R ISN’T YOUR DAD’S GOLF KART.
I just learned that the Volkswagen ID R electric concept/race car just broke another record. It’s not surprising since the car looks like a cross between a Group C race car and something Daniel Simon could have designed. Truthfully, the car was designed to take the electric car record at the world-world famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb. However, this latest record proves that electric cars are the ultimate evolution of motorsports: The ID R just broke the Nürburgring Nordschleife record for electric cars at 6:05!
To understand exactly how fast that is, first, you have to understand how big the Nordschleife is, and how fast a racecar can go around it. The original “Nordschleife” or “North Loop” was built in the 1920s around the town of Nürburg, in the Eifel mountains. Also nicknamed “The Green Hell”, the Nordschleife is almost 13 miles long, with 73 turns and massive elevation changes. Sports car manufacturers often use the Nordschleife to develop their cars, and it’s not uncommon for a car maker to boast about its cars’ lap times.
HOW FAST IS SIX MINUTES AND 5 SECONDS?
A “fast” car can make the loop at around 8 minutes. The Alfa Romeo 4C did 8:04 back in 2013. A “very fast” car like the Ferrari 458 Italia can do it by roughly 7:30. An “extremely fast” car like the Lamborghini Aventador 770-4 SVJ can do it in under seven minutes. These are just production cars though, and the Volkswagen ID R is clearly not a production car.
The previous record holder for the fastest electric car was the Nio EP9, which made 1000 kilowatts or 1,361 horsepower equivalent. The EP9 was only a shade slower than the Lamborghini Aventador 770-4 SVJ at 6:45, which we already knew was “extremely fast.”
The Volkswagen ID R did it 40 seconds faster than a 1,300 horsepower electric car. That is insanely fast!
What’s more surprising is the fact that the ID R makes less power than the previous record holder. It “only” makes around 700 horsepower, but the car has an incredibly lightweight body weighing only 1,100 kilograms or 2,500 pounds. In addition, the ID R sports a very low-drag and high-downforce body, meaning that the car could take the Nordschleife’s 73 turns at a much higher speed.
Just imagine; in a few years, electric race cars like the ID R will be making insane lap times at our favorite tracks like the Circuit de la Sarthe, or even WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca!