Motorsports

Romain Dumas breaks Pikes Peak record with VW I.D. R electric race car

7:57.148 is the new time to beat

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It's official. With a time of 7:57.148, Romain Dumas set a new record for the fastest time up the famed Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. His average speed was 90.538 miles per hour, according to the event's official live timing board. The previous record of 8:13.878 was set in 2013 by Sebastien Loeb in a specially prepared Peugeot racecar.

For those unaware of the intricacies of Pikes Peak, the 12.42-mile course is composed of 156 turns and summits at 14,115 feet above sea level. The Volkswagen I.D. R electric racecar is an impressive beast that boasts 680 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque distributed by electric motors to all four wheels. At less than 2,500 pounds, the VW is very light considering all those batteries it's hauling around, and it borrows aerodynamic elements from VW corporate cousin Porsche.

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