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VW's electric ID.R sets Goodwood Festival of Speed record<br>

VW's electric ID.R sets Goodwood Festival of Speed record

The electric racer was faster than a Formula One car.

Volkswagen's ID.R electric racer has set another motorsports record, this time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The VW ID.R has already claimed world records at the Pikes Peak hill climb and at Germany's Nurburgring.

The VW ID.R completed festival's hillclimb in just 39.90 seconds. That's 1.7 seconds quicker than the previous record, which was set 20-years ago by a McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13 Formula One car.

"In setting the new all-time record at the 'Goodwood Festival of Speed', the ID.R has once again shown that Volkswagen's electric powertrain can outperform even the most powerful conventional powertrains,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets.

The ID.R is not only the first electric vehicle to hold the course record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but also the first vehicle of any kind to complete the hillclimb in under 40 seconds.

Although the same basic car that competed at Pikes Peak and the Nurburgring, VW made some changes to the ID.R in preparation for the festival's 1.86 km track. The first order of business was to fit a smaller battery pack, which netted a total vehicle weight of less that 1,000 kilograms (including the driver). Next, VW removed the Drag Reduction System that was designed for the high-speed straights of the Nurburgring.

Finally, VW worked with Bridgestone to create a bespoke tire for the ID.R's Goodwood hillclimb. Because the hillclimb is such a short track, Bridgestone was able to make a set of the car's normal Potenza slicks with a softer compound for improved grip.

VW doesn't have any production plans for the ID.R, but the company is using the electric race car to tout its upcoming range of electric vehicles.