Dumas, Volkswagen Complete Tianmen Mountain Run

Photo: Volkswagen

The Volkswagen ID. R electric prototype has completed its next challenge: a high-speed run up the Tianmen Mountain road in China.

Romain Dumas completed the course, which is made up of 99 tight hairpins up the side of a mountain, in a time of 7:38.585 as the first official attempt of the course in a racing car.

The 6.8-mile road includes short sprints, fast winding sections with speeds of up to 143 mph and hard braking maneuvers in narrow tunnels.

The ID. R currently holds records at Pikes Peak, Goodwood Hillclimb, Nürburgring Nordschleife, all of which have also been set by Dumas in the last 15 months.

The car showcases Volkswagen’s new fully electric range of road cars, the ID. family. Its first car, the ID. 3, will have its world premier on Sept. 10 at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show.

“A new record on a truly spectacular road – Volkswagen and the ID. R have once again shown what the electromobility of the future is already capable of today,” said Volkswagen Passenger Cars’ COO Ralf Brandstaetter.

“Not only has it proven that electric cars like the ID. R can break established records and set new benchmarks, but the ID. R also shows how emotive and exciting the mobility of the future is.”

Dumas added: “I will certainly remember this record run on Tianmen Mountain for ever as my most spectacular outing. I am proud to have set a record with the electric Volkswagen ID. R in China.

“The little information and testing we had beforehand made it a huge challenge. The road is incredibly narrow and winding, but the drive was unbelievable fun with the electric power of the ID. R.

“The huge torque was a big advantage on the short straights, while the aerodynamics provided additional traction in the fast sections.”

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.