The BMW M5 is well known for going fast in a straight line, but now it also lays claim to the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous drift. How long, you ask? 51.278 miles to be precise.
The record-breaking drift took place at BMW’s Performance Centre in South Carolina with instructor Johan Schwartz at the wheel, who managed to complete 322.5 laps of the 841-foot circular skid pad circuit. Impressive indeed.
For those unfamiliar with drifting, a car enters a drift when the rear wheels lose traction going round a corner. Drivers need to carefully balance the accelerator and steering to keep the car in check and avoid losing control completely. It’s big business. So big, in fact, that whole championships exist to satisfy fans, such as Formula D.
The car used was a standard unmodified BMW M5 – a 560-horsepower beast with a 0-62MPH time of 4.4 seconds. Those hoping to see smoke and flames billowing from the tyres will be disappointed – to help with the record, BMW soaked the track with water to reduce traction and ensure that the tyres would go the distance.
The 51-mile drift smashed the previous record – set when driver Abdo Feghali drifted a Chevrolet Camaro round a circuit in Abu Dhabi – by 47.31 miles.