Watch the VW ID.R break a 20-year-old record at Goodwood

Update: Romain Dumas just beat his own Goodwood hill climb record he set this week. His latest run broke the 40 second mark, clocking in at 39.9 seconds.

The Volkswagen ID.R just won’t quit. Over the past year or so, VW’s all-electric race car has set either overall or EV records at the Pike’s Peak hill climb, the Goodwood hill climb and the Nürburgring. Today, French racing driver Romain Dumas set a time of 41.18 seconds, breaking both his time from last year as well as a 20-year-old record set by Nick Heidfeld in a McLaren MP4/13 Formula 1 car. Watch the video above to see the ID.R conquer the 1.16-mile climb. Even without an internal-combustion engine, the car sounds loud and mean.

History made in 41.18 seconds. #FOS@volkswagenms @romaindumas pic.twitter.com/AN8sZlxYSn

— Goodwood FOS (@fosgoodwood)
July 5, 2019

Last year’s time of 43.86 was quick enough to win the weekend, but it was still a bit shy of Heidfeld’s 1999 record. The car used last year was the same one used at Pike’s Peak. This year’s ID.R is slightly different. Volkswagen is calling this the “sprint version” that’s tailored for short, flat-out runs like Goodwood. The biggest difference is the substantially smaller battery pack. When you don’t need enough range to race up a 12.42-mile mountain road with 156 turns, you can shave weight by using smaller battery. 

41.18 seconds! @RomainDumas broke the 20-year old record at the @fosgoodwood in the #IDR. But they are not done yet – stay tuned for more record attempts throughout the weekend. #challengeacceptID pic.twitter.com/OtlTFFj0Bm

— VolkswagenMotorsport (@volkswagenms)
July 5, 2019

There isn’t much more info right now, but expect a big fanfare from Volkswagen over the next week or so. We’d love to get some onboard footage.