Pikes Peak
Video: Watch the VW ID.R Blast the Nürburgring Record
Last week, Volkswagen dropped acclaimed racing driver Romain Dumas behind the wheel of the ID.R– one of the most powerful electric race cars ever built. Once he was trapped in, they pointed the pairing at Germany’s famous Nürburgring, where they promptly set a new track record for electric cars. The ID.R didn’t just set a new record, though. Along the way, it thoroughly obliterated the previous electric record set by the NIO EP9 back in 2017 by more than 40 (forty) seconds. Volkswagen has been pushing hard to shed its well-earned image as a manufacturer of emissions-cheating, high-polluting, diesel-engined crapwagons crapwagens with always-on check engine lights. Part of that push has been a commitment to developing high-performance electric motors, and that’s where...
VW Targets EV Record at Nürburgring
When Volkswagen took its awesome-looking, super swoopy ID. R electric race car to Pike’s Peak last year, everyone kind of figured it would win. They spent a bajillion dollars, though– so the win was kind of expected. What wasn’t expected was that they’d take the overall record. By a lot. Despite having victory at the PPIHC in the bag, however, Volkswagen is hungry for more. As such, the people’s car company is setting its sights on the Green Hell of the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife. Driver Romain Dumas will be at the wheel again for the record attempt, after having won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a time of 7:57.148 minutes– becoming the first driver in over 100 years of this iconic race to go under eight minutes in the process. The F...
Electric VW Shatters All-time Pike’s Peak Record
Volkswagen and the I.D. R Pikes Peak have made history at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), breaking the previous record for electric vehicles, sure– but also beating the all-time record set by Sébastien Loeb in 2013! And that by a full 16 (sixteen) seconds! “Awesome! We exceeded even our own high expectations with that result,” exclaimed Romain Dumas, after setting a new Pike’s Peak record. “Since this week’s tests, we have known that it was possible to break the all-time record. For it to come off, everything had to come together perfectly – from the technology to the driver. And the weather had to play ball too. That everything ran so smoothly is an incredible feeling, and the new record on Pikes Peak is the icing on the cake. I still cannot believ...
Buy it: Pike’s Peak BOTT XR1R Buell Racing Bike
Due to what’s being described as “sponsorship reasons”, the bike that finished 4th in the Pike’s Peak Exhibition Class in 2017 is available for sale. That’s right, kids- not a replica. Not “one of”. The actual Bottpower-built 1,340cc Buell XBRR-based BOTT XR1R Pikes Peak race bike that finished 4th can be f***ing yours. I learned about this earlier today while reading one of Jensen Beeler‘s articles over at Asphalt and Rubber. Justin does not share my love for Erik Buell’s sexy streetbikes- like, at all. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, however, and one of the two Beeler gets right today is calling the Pike’s Peak BOTT XR1R Buell race bike, “one tasty piece of two-wheeled machinery.” The one-off, titanium-valv...
Extreme Downforce of the Volkswagen IDR Pike’s Peak Electric Racecar
Volkswagen has high hopes for its all-electric I.D. R hillclimb race car. With plans to hit the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb, VW hopes a win at that prestigious event with an all-electric vehicle (EV) will help environmentally-conscious consumers to look beyond the highly public “dieselgate” emissions scandal from 2015. To make sure everything goes to plan, the company is breaking new ground in aerodynamic efficiency with its track-ready racer. That efficiency will be critical, because there’s a lot less air to work with at Pike’s Peak than most place. “The start line is located at an altitude just above 9,000 feet, with the finish at 14,115 feet above sea level. The low air pressure up there means that the aerodynamic conditions are different to those...
VW’s All-electric Hillclimb Monster Hits the Racetrack
It’s been a big month for VW race fans, as the company’s rumored all-electric hillclimb monster not only broke cover- but ran its first laps in Alès, France as well. Officially called the ID R, the car weighs less than 2,500 lbs and produces 680 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, giving it a 0-60 time of 2.25 seconds. If accurate, that would make the Volkswagen ID R quicker to 60 than some Formula 1 and Formula E race cars. That is to say, in case you didn’t get it by now, that it’s pretty quick! You can check out the official press statement about the ID R’s track outing, below, along with all the official launch photos released over the weekend. Once you’ve done that, let us know what you think of the new Pike’s Peak challenger in the comments section a...
How to Hillclimb: 1000 HP Electric Acura NSX (Video)
In this video, a 1050 HP, fully electric Acura NSX blasts its way up the historic Pike's Peak Hillclimb course. Just watch!
Pikes Peak 2014: Race Results
You can find the 2014 Pikes Peak race results here - and read about the tragic passing of Pike's Peak regular, Bobby Goodin, who crashed after the line.
Pikes Peak 2014: the Race (and Live Stream) is Happening Now
The 2014 running of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb (PPIHC) is under way today, June 29th. As always, the race promises to deliver some of the best electric and alt-fuel racing in the country with several serious plug-in contenders aiming to knock Sebatien Loeb’s record 2013 run up the mountain. For those of you with short memories, 2013 marked the first running of the “paved” mountain – which is to say that 2013 was the first year the entire road/race course up the Peak was paved. As such, many racers showed with cars optimized for loose surfaces, but Loeb’s Peugeot looked more like an old Group C or IMSA prototype than a dirt car, and it crushed the 10-minute mark (the established “wow, that’s fast!” time at the PPIHC) with a blister...