Skip to main content

VW signs past Pikes Peak winner Dumas to take a run at EV glory

Volkswagen has set firm crosshairs on landing a world-record run for an electric vehicle at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. And they’ve started out on their mission by playing one of the best possible aces out there: they’ve signed a three-time Pikes Peak winner, three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, and 2016 World Endurance Championship winner, Frenchman Romain Dumas.

It’s been 30 years since VW last took a run at Pikes Peak, and when the brand returns for this year’s running it will mark the debut of its first-ever all-electric race car. Electric cars have found quick success at the historic hill climb over the past few years, with New Zealander Rhys Millen even taking the eO PP03 to an overall victory in 2015.

Volkswagen is building an entirely new electric prototype for 2018 with which it hopes to take advantage of the generous technical freedom granted by the regulations in the electric modified class and best the current record for an EV, which was a run of 8:57.118 set by Millen in the e0 PP100 in 2016.

“There is one big advantage of having an electric car in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb: the power remains constant over the entire 20-kilometer route,” Dumas said in a press release. “By contrast, vehicles fitted with combustion engines lose a significant amount of power in the thin mountain air. I had to live with that in my previous appearances here. I am really looking forward to being able to drive from the start at (9,390 ft) to the finishing line (at 14,110 ft) at full power for the first time.

“The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a big challenge because every driver only has one attempt. But I have real faith in Volkswagen Motorsport. The team is highly motivated and has already shown on many occasions that it is capable of achieving success right away on unfamiliar terrain.”

“Romain is one of the fastest drivers to have ever entered the Pikes Peak race,” added Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. “What’s more, he has thousands of kilometers of experience with racing prototypes under his belt. This makes him the perfect driver for Volkswagen as it makes its debut with a fully electric racing car.”

The 2018 running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will take place on Sunday, June 24.

The post VW signs past Pikes Peak winner Dumas to take a run at EV glory appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2FB9wCO
via IFTTT

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as...
Post a Comment
Read more

ABT Sportsline 2016 CW33 ABT Golf GTI Clubsport with 340 hp

At the age of 40, many people discover gyms because they want to stay in shape. And the Golf GTI, always the fastest Golf, now turns 40 too, but has been in better shape from generation to generation. This especially applies to the ABT Golf GTI Clubsport , which has been upgraded from 265 hp (195 kW) to no less than 340 hp (250 kW), with torque now at 430 Nm (production car: 350 Nm). This GTI makes fun to drive, both when cornering and when overtaking. The Clubsport is the most powerful of four ABT POWER variants but they are all agile and active. After all, they have all been developed by racing professionals. For the ABT Golf GTI , and thus in part also for the Clubsport , the Bavarian enhancer has come up with a very powerful body package. The depicted car does not feature all the components, but they all become this “racing golf”. The front spoiler and head light covers form an assertive unit, and the side skirts, mirror caps and the rear skirt set with its 4-pipe muffler syste...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Mitsubishi , Fuel Efficiency , Japan Mitsubishi says its shady fuel-economy test practices may have been used on all vehicles it sells and has sold in Japan. Continue reading Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2016 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/21X3bHv
Post a Comment
Read more