SA journo performs world's longest car drift

Picture: Denis Droppa.

Picture: Denis Droppa.

Published Jun 12, 2017

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Pretoria - South African motoring journalist Jesse Adams has performed the world's longest car drift, although it remains unofficial for now as verification by Guinness World Records is currently pending.

Adams, who writes for IOL and Star Motoring, completed 168.5km and 1000 laps in a time of five hours and 45 minutes, driving a Toyota 86. 

The current official record is held by Germany’s Harald Müller, who managed 144.125km on a skidpan in Turkey back in 2014, also in a Toyota 86.

The record attempt took place on Monday morning on a wet skidpan at the Gerotek test centre west of Pretoria. 

Asked how he felt after the feat, Adams exclaimed "I just wanna go to bed now! I want a hot bath and to go to bed."

"There was a point at around 600 laps when I was seriously ready to stop," Adams continued, "I didn't think I was going to make it, but I did, and probably could have done another 200."

Event co-ordinator Adrian Burford said he was "amazed and thrilled" at the achievement: "when we started out, I just thought 'this is going to be so difficult to do, and to actually get right in the first shot', which he actually did. There was no aborted start, it was all done in one go.

"It's a fantastic achievement, I mean 1000 laps of the Gerotek skidpan on opposite lock, without stopping! That's like driving from Johannesburg to Pretoria, back to Joburg and then to Pretoria again, on opposite lock, all the time."

Our sentiments exactly. Well done Jesse!

IOL Motoring

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