VW set a new best time at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

SEVEN minutes and 57.148 seconds – Volkswagen set a new best time in the most impressive manner at the recent Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (USA), making a bold statement for electromobility. At the wheel of the fully-electric I.D. R Pikes Peak, Romain Dumas conquered the competition powered by conventional drive technology and improved on the 2013 record set by Sébastien Loeb (F) by 16.730 seconds.

‘ That was an unbelievable race. I have been trying to get under eight minutes for years. Now it has finally worked out,’ said Dumas.

‘I found my rhythm fast and my first sector was nearly perfect. I had some fog in the second section and that made the turns very slippery. I didn’t want to take too many risks and lost a few seconds there. Thankfully, the sun came back out in the third sector and I was able to go on the attack again. After the last hairpin bend, I spoke to the car and said ‘come on, only 500 metres to go’.’

‘Anyone who knows me, knows what Pikes Peak means to me. When I was six years old, I said that I wanted to drive here one day. Now I have won it four times. That is always something special but this year it was even more so, as Volkswagen has developed a completely new racing car and it was also my first time in a fully-electric car.’

Asked what he thought of working for and with Volkswagen, Duma said:

‘I am very impressed. Developing a car like the I.D. R Pikes Peak in just eight months is a real feat of engineering. Congratulations! Many thanks are also due to the mechanics for their hard work, especially in the last three weeks, and for making this success happen. The lads have earned the chance to celebrate properly and then to get plenty of sleep. And in the next few weeks, what I would like to do more than anything is to sleep. I feel very tired, but very, very happy.’