BMW M5 breaks world record for the longest drift

BMW has smashed the record for the longest continuous wet drift undertaken in eight hours, setting a distance of 232.5 miles. 

BMW racing driver Johan Schwartz took to the wheel of the new BMW M5 to complete the marathon stunt, with Matt Mullins, another professional BMW precision driver, taking control of the refuel car, which was an F10 M5. 

The new M5 was refuelled five times during the stunt, and averaged a speed of 29mph. 

The previous record, set by German driver Harald Müller in a Toyota GT86, was less than half of BMW’s effort at 89.55 miles. The record was set in July 2014. BMW has a history of drift records, however, having set a longest drift record of 51.278 miles in 2013, in the previous-generation M5. Autocar staffer Mauro Calo previously broke the record in 2011 with a dry 1.43-mile drift in a Mercedes-AMG C63. 

The attempt broke another record as the two cars drifted in tandem for 49.25 miles over one hour. This is the longest twin-vehicle drift recorded by Guinness. A custom refuelling system was installed on both cars to ensure the safety and smoothness of refuelling while the record attempt was underway. 

Schwartz said: “We knew that if we were going to recapture the world record for the longest sustained drift and set the bar as high as possible, we would need to find a way to keep the M5 going without stopping to refuel. In the end, the refueling system worked flawlessly and the M5 performed as expected.  It was a big win all around.” 

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