Porsche breaks the Guinness World Record for the longest drift in an electric vehicle after its Tycan travels sideways for 55 minutes over 210 laps
- Porsche broke the world record for the longest drift in an electric vehicle
- An instructor traveled sideways in a Tycan for 55 minutes and 26.2 miles
- The car completed 210 laps in total while drifting around the track
Porsche has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest drift of an electric vehicle.
The German car maker’s instructor, Dennis Retera, completed 210 laps on a 656-foot-long drift circle without the front wheels ever pointing in the same direction of the curve.
Retera clocked in 55 minutes while traveling sideways in a Porsche Taycan, covering a total of 26 miles.
The Taycan has hit previous milestones, as it holds the record for its 24-hour endurance run over 2,128 miles on the high-speed track in Nardò, Italy and the best time in its class of 7:42 minutes on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, Germany.
The record-breaking event took place at Porsche’s Hockenheimring center, which is setup with an irrigation system to provide water on the track for a clean drift.
Porsche has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest drift of an electric vehicle
‘When the driving stability programs are switched off, a powerslide with the electric Porsche is extremely easy, especially of course with this model variant, which is driven exclusively via the rear wheels, Retera said.
‘Sufficient power is always available. The low center of gravity and the long wheelbase ensure stability.’
‘The precise design of the chassis and steering allows for perfect control at all times, even when moving sideways.’
The attempt was also achieved under the supervision of Guinness World Records official record judge Joanne Brent, how has witnessed a number of record attempts over the past five years.
The German car maker’s instructor, Dennis Retera, completed 210 laps on a 656-foot-long drift circle without the front wheels ever pointing in the same direction of the curve
The record-breaking event took place at Porsche’s Hockenheimring center, which is setup with an irrigation system to provide water on the track for a clean drift
‘We’ve had some drift records, but with an electric sports car it’s something very special for us too. Here Porsche has done real pioneering work,’ Brent said.
The Guinness expert watched from the sidelines as Retera traveled around the course 210 times.
‘Nevertheless, it was also very tiring for me to keep my concentration high for 210 laps, especially as the irrigated asphalt of the drift circuit does not provide the same grip everywhere,’ said Retera.
Picture (left) is Dennis Retara who drove Porsche into the Guinness World Records and right is Guinness World Records official record judge Joanne Brent who supervised the attempt
The Guinness expert watched from the sidelines as Retera traveled around the course 210 times
‘I concentrated on controlling the drift with the steering – this is more efficient than using the accelerator pedal and reduces the risk of spinning.’
Prior to the event, an independent expert, Denise Ritzmann, investigated the Porsche to determine it was standard and in top condition to hit the track.
She was a drifting champion in 2018 and 2019, and was tasked with ensuring the Taycan traveled in a permanent drift throughout the attempt.
‘You can see at a glance whether the front wheels are pointing in a different direction to the curve. As long as this is the case, the car is drifting,’ Ritzmann explained.