Not satisfied with simply holding the record up the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Volkswagen will head to China later this year with its all-electric ID. R racer.
Speaking at a recent press conference, Volkswagen China chief executive and member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, Dr. Stephan Wollenstein, announced that the ID. R will race up the Tianmen Shan Big Gate Road in China, roughly 1500 km (930 miles) southwest of Beijing.
This unique stretch of tarmac, featuring no less than 99 corners, is used exclusively by tourist buses to transfer visitors up to Tianmen Mountain. The road starts at about 200 meters (656 feet) above sea level and rises to about 1300 meters (4265 feet). As the road isn’t open to regular traffic, there is no current record up the stunning mountain pass.
A road even scarier than Pikes Peak
The ID. R will be driven by Romain Dumas and to ensure the successful racing driver has a time to aim at, Volkswagen will run a competition where gamers will be able to set a virtual time on the Tianmen Shan Big Gate Road. Dumas will attempt to beat the best virtual time when he heads to the road in September this year.
Like Pikes Peak, the Tianmen Shan Big Gate Road is extremely dangerous and features a number of scary sheer drop-offs.
“So far, I only know the road from photos and a few videos,” the two-time Le Mans winner said.
“The surrounding area is remarkable, like a film set. The route is very winding, extremely narrow in places, and very uneven. It is certainly going to be a special experience. I am looking forward to this new challenge.”
