One day after the world premiere of the new Volkswagen ID R at the Nürburgring in Germany, French racing driver Romain Dumas drove the first test laps on the Nordschleife in the fully electric racing car.

He completed an extensive testing programme, driving two alternative ID R chassis to make optimal use of the
available time.

In doing so, Volkswagen Motorsport began its final preparations phase for the attempt to set a new lap record for electric vehicles on the historic track with the 500kW (680 PS) racing car.

Sven Smeets, Volkswagen ID R director (www.volkswagenag.com), said: “The Nürburgring-Nordschleife has presented difficult challenges, as expected.

“After our extensive computer simulations, we have worked in this test on ensuring that the ID R is optimally adapted to this unique race track, particularly with regard to the chassis.

"As a result, we were able to work through the planned focal points of the test programme as scheduled, while also comparing various racing tyres from our partner Bridgestone.”

Mr Dumas said: “It was a great moment to drive the ID R on my favourite track for the first time; the cornering speeds in the ID R are much higher than I am used to in GT race cars, but I felt good in the cockpit, and that is really important here.

"The Nürburgring-Nordschleife has larger and more numerous bumps than the race tracks on which we have tested so far, so we have concentrated on adapting the shock absorbers and the ride height to suit the unique characteristics of this track.”