On December 11, 2017, BMW driving instructor Johan Schwartz drifted an all-new 2018 BMW M5 232.5 miles or 374.1 kms around a skid pad at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South Carolina, setting a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Greatest distance vehicle drift in 8 hours. Schwartz shattered the previous record by 143 miles or 230 kms. A second GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Longest twin vehicle drift (water assisted) was also set on the same day. Schwartz broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Longest continuous vehicle drift on May 11, 2013 when he drifted an unmodified 2013 BMW M5 sedan for 51.278 miles also at the BMW Performance Center. Since then, Schwartz’s record was broken twice, in 2013 and 2014.

Although the refueling system was built with the most technologically advanced components on the market, a human touch was needed to make and hold the refuel connection. Five separate times over the course of the eight hour drift, a second BMW M5, a previous generation M5, entered the skid pad driven by BMW Performance Center Chief Driving Instructor Matt Mullins. As Mullins matched Schwartz’s drift, Detroit Speed’s Matt Butts, who was held on by a safety tether from the second vehicle’s rear window, was able to straddle the space between both moving vehicles and successfully complete the fueling.

“Although we practiced the refueling several times before the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title attempt, there was very little margin for error,” said Butts. “We’re excited to have played a part in Johan and BMW recapturing this record.”

Once the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Greatest distance vehicle drift in 8 hours was achieved, BMW attempted a second title for Longest twin vehicle drift (water assisted) which was 1 hour and 49.25 miles or 79.26 kms, which is now co-owned by Schwartz and Mullins.