Driver Romain Dumas was impressed with the performance of the electric-powered racing car. Since the track to the summit at an altitude of 4,302m is a public road, the team only had access to it for three hours. For preparing for the further test runs and the race on 24th June, Volkswagen Motorsport has established a permanent base in Colorado.
"The news from Colorado is very positive; we are on schedule with the preparations for the I.D. R Pikes Peak and can now focus on the fine-tuning," explained Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. "It is the result of a very strong team performance, initially here in Germany and now by our team on site in the U.S.A. If we continue to work with focus and motivation, we are in with a good chance of setting a new record time for e-cars on 24th June."
During the first test in the U.S.A, the team mainly focussed on the suspension, tyre tests, and the optimum use of battery charge and energy recycling when braking. "Perfect energy management is one of the key factors for successfully attacking the record in the electric car category," explained Francois-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director at Volkswagen Motorsport, who, as Project Manager, is responsible for I.D. R Pikes Peak. "The first test drive at Pikes Peak was successful. This shows that our computer simulations and the test drives in Europe were on point."
During the first test in the U.S.A, the team mainly focussed on the suspension, tyre tests, and the optimum use of battery charge and energy recycling when braking. "Perfect energy management is one of the key factors for successfully attacking the record in the electric car category," explained Francois-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director at Volkswagen Motorsport, who, as Project Manager, is responsible for I.D. R Pikes Peak. "The first test drive at Pikes Peak was successful. This shows that our computer simulations and the test drives in Europe were on point."
