VIDEO: BMW M5 drifts into The Guiness Book of World Records

When you once held the world record for an accomplishment and then had it taken away by a rival, the desire to recapture bragging rights is strong and you don’t let anything get in the way. The chaps over at BMW know exactly how that feels. You see, back in 2013, they set the record run (sorry, drift) with 51 miles completed, piloted by driving instructor Johan Schwartz.

Toyota then shattered the record – twice – with the GT86s. First, with drifter Harald Muller in 2014 and three years later with South African journalist, Jesse Adams. 

BMW announced that the sixth generation M5 will be an all-wheel drive, and to show off the capabilities of the car, they decided to break the record, clocking in a staggering 232 miles. It took eight hours, with Schwartz at the wheel once again. Imagine the length of your typical work day, except the entire time you’d have to be holding a drift in a 600 hp super sedan. The level of concentration to even attempt such a feat is unbelievable. 

The record-setting team (L-R) – Johan Schwartz, Matt Butts, Matt Mullins.

In order to achieve the feat, they came up with an ingenious way to refuel - tandem drifting. Yes, that’s right. Two cars drifting, with the lead car being refueled while still in drift mode! BMW Performance Center’s Chief Driving Instructor, Matt Mullins, was required to drift alongside Schwartz’s car, with Matt Butts in the backseat of the F10 and suspended by a safety tether to connect the fueling system. They threw out a previous-generation M5’s rear seats and with the help of Detroit Speed - a North Carolina automotive fabricator - made room for the auxiliary fuel tank and high-pressure pump, capable of transferring up to 18 gallons of fuel between the cars in approximately 50 seconds. 

Mid-drift refueling is now a new way of setting a record. It makes for a pretty cool vid too!

Image credit – bmwblog.com