24 Hours of Le Mans race winner Romain Dumas will make another appearance at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He’ll partner up with Volkswagen Motorsport, who will attempt to set a new record for electric racing cars.
Dumas has a rich history in Sportscars, winning the FIA World Endurance Championship with Porsche in 2016, the same year he took the flag in a dramatic Le Mans. Racing for the Frenchman has been sporadic throughout 2017, with the 40-year-old now embarking on a new challenge with VW.
He is no stranger to Hill Climb events, winning the event three times over the past four years. His first Race to the Clouds win came in 2014 at the wheel of a Norma M20 RD. He would return to win the event with Norma in 2016 and 2017.
VW last entered the event 30 years ago, and will be hoping to make the most of the high altitude (4,302m at the finish) in their quest for the crown.
“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-kilometre route.” said Dumas.
“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 2,862 metres to the finishing line at full power for the first time.”
The event will take place on the 24th June in Colorado, one week after Le Mans, where Dumas is set to race the #94 Porsche 911 RSR in GTE Pro.
“Romain is one of the fastest drivers to have ever entered the Pikes Peak race. What’s more, he has thousands of kilometres 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,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets.
Volkswagen announced Dumas’ participation in a promotional video.
