Porsche Taycan Sets Record with Marathon Drift Session
For 55 minutes and 210 laps, one Chinese-market Porsche Taycan logged 26.2 miles sliding left at the Hockenheimring’s drift circle.
Porsche is good at setting and breaking records. Usually, those are performed upon the famous (or infamous, depending on your view) Nurburgring in Nurburg, Germany. Every year or so, another machine from Stuttgart logs a new ‘Ring time. It even currently holds the fastest time overall for a production car at 6:40.33.
Sometimes, though, the ‘Ring time is replaced by a few rings around the rosy. According to Electrek (via our friends at Rennlist), a Taycan set a Guinness World Record. How? By drifting out a full marathon.
Going for a Different ‘Ring Record
Conducted by Porsche Experience instructor Dennis Retera, the record was set at the Porsche Experience Centre Hockenheimring’s drift circle. The 200-meter circle features an irrigation system for testing how well Porsches can handle the wet roads of the Autobahn and beyond.
Meanwhile, the Taycan chosen for the record attempt happens to be a pre-production model for the Chinese market. According to Autoblog, the newest Taycan debuted back in July, and is the first to be rear-drive only. Thus, the perfect machine to make all the donuts at a record pace.
‘You Spin Me Right ‘Round, Baby’
So, what happened? Let Porsche tell you what went down themselves:
Porsche instructor Dennis Retera did 210 laps on the 200 meter-long drift circle without the front wheels ever pointing in the same direction as the curve: after 55 minutes the sideways expert had covered a total of 42.171 kilometres. By completing this marathon distance, Retera secured the world record for the longest continuous drift in an electric car. The average speed was 46 km/h.
To translate: Retera logged 26.2 miles, the actual distance of a marathon, at just over 28 mph. Although likely very dizzy after 55 minutes, Retera’s feat of intestinal fortitude (in all senses of the term) killed it in a way not even Tesla could be bothered accomplish.
Drifting Into History
“When the driving stability programs are switched off, a powerslide with the electric Porsche is extremely easy,” said Retera, “especially of course with this model variant, which is driven exclusively via the rear wheels. 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.”
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