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Volkswagen’s I.D. R Pikes Peak sets record on Goodwood hill climb

I.D. R smashes the previous electric vehicle record with a time of 43.86 seconds

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Just three weeks after breaking the all-time record at the Pikes Peak international hill climb, the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak and its driver, Romain Dumas, have set a new record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s Shootout event.

The I.D. R climbed the Goodwood hill climb in just 43.86 seconds, beating the best time for an electric car. The previous record has stood since 2013, set by Jonny Cocker in the Lola-Drayon B12 69/EV. Despite the I.D. R’s power deficit – 670bhp vs 850bhp – it managed to shave 3.48 seconds off Cocker’s time.

(PA)

The time also comes very close to the all-time record, set in 1999 by Nick Heidfeld at the wheel of a McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13 F1 car. Heidfeld managed a time of 41.6 seconds on the 1.86km route.

Dumas actually managed an even quicker time during qualifying for the Shootout, of 43.05s – but hotter temperatures during the final slowed the eventual run down.

The record-breaking run is despite the car not being specifically tuned for the Goodwood hill climb. As a Pikes Peak contender, it’s designed to tackle a fearsome 12-mile mountain course – not the 1.2 miles of Lord March’s driveway at Goodwood.

Volkswagen driver Romain Dumas said: “Goodwood is an absolutely fantastic event and I am more than happy that we won in front of such a great crowd of motorsport enthusiasts.

“The hill climb track is short but often dirty and therefore you should definitely not underestimate it. In any case it is a great honour to drive here at Goodwood. You meet so many fantastic drivers, and the cars and motorcycles here span a century of motorsport. It is one of a kind.”

Also present at the Festival of Speed was the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, an LMP1 car which has unofficially broken records at both the Nurburgring and Spa Francorchamps in recent months. Though the 919 did run up the hill, Porsche did not attack Heidfeld’s overall record.

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