- Mauro Calo kept his Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sliding sideways for almost eight laps to smash the world drifting record on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, England.
- Calo, a Mercedes-Benz test driver who works at the track, achieved a total distance of 1.43 miles in the record-breaking drift, beating the previous record held by Vaughn Gittin Jr., according to Guinness World Records.
- Calo beat the previous record by about one-quarter of a mile.
WEYBRIDGE, England — Mauro Calo kept his Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sliding sideways for almost eight laps to smash the world drifting record on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, England.
Calo, a Mercedes-Benz test driver who works at the track, achieved a total distance of 1.43 miles in the record-breaking drift, beating the previous record held by Vaughn Gittin Jr., according to Guinness World Records.
Calo beat the previous record by about one-quarter of a mile.
Gittin piloted a 2010 Ford Mustang GT in a December 18, 2008 record-setting run at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Mustang traveled 6,280 feet or 1.19 miles.
"To achieve the record-breaking distance, Mauro chose part of the handling circuit at Mercedes-Benz world," said the automaker in a statement. "The circuit provided a complete 360 degree circle of tarmac which saw him complete almost eight laps."
Inside Line says: An Olympian feat that seems to defy the laws of physics. But records are made to be broken.
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gmhl10 says:
09:05 PM, 06/20/2011
Why would an ice hockey player need to do a triple jump?
Apples and oranges, boy.
While I do not enjoy NASCAR (avid F1 fan here) myself, there's no questioning the fact that NASCAR is still RACING.
As simple as the theory sounds about driving around an oval loop countless numbers of times, controlling a NASCAR stock car in a race is still a challenge that requires a great deal of skill.
fhwulala says:
04:33 PM, 06/20/2011
ummm...show me one ice hockey player who can do a triple jump...and show me one driver that doesn't do a Scandinavian flick in rally racing. Funny how all these criticism are from a country that enjoys watching car driving in circles.
gmhl10 says:
02:24 PM, 06/20/2011
Too bad they never posted a pic of the rear tires after that. Would've liked to see how much it got eaten up.
But yea, I agree with all you guys here.
Drifting might require skill, but it's definitely not racing.
To race would imply that you are competing against someone or something or the clock.
Sure, drifters get scored in competitions, but their points system is really dependent on the judge and not much on cold hard facts like time or a photo finish or the like.
church123 says:
02:13 PM, 06/20/2011
Drifting is to auto racing as figure skating is to ice hockey
Don't get me wrong, it takes major talent to drift a car at the highest levels, just at it takes major skill to pull off a triple jump in figure skating - but it ain't the same as competitive motorsports.
angry_mushroom says:
12:09 PM, 06/20/2011
Ken Block should try this in his Fiesta now.
93aero says:
12:09 PM, 06/20/2011
"Gittin piloted a 2010 Ford Mustang GT in a December 18, 2008...." Time Travel. He has it.
jeremy_c says:
11:23 AM, 06/20/2011
eldaino2, 100% agree with you. A good driver will inherently drive his car around the corner just before the car starts to drift. Catching this exact moment maximizie speed and requires precision, knowledge of your car and road conditions. Drifting slows you down, and creates a flat spot on your tires. The Japanese invented drifting, probably a result of having people who cannot drive properly around corners. (just look at how previous Japanese F1 drivers performed!)
For some unexplained reason, drifting really caught on with the young crowd. A sad sign that this generation values theatrics and showboating over substance.
eldaino2 says:
11:08 AM, 06/20/2011
i like the c63, but drifiting has always seemed like a silly motorsport to me. somehow i dont think this award will look all that great next to the other racing wins and records mercedes has
sniperruff says:
09:38 AM, 06/20/2011
"So, what's the limiting factor here? Tires? Engine? Driver?"
I'd guess the tires, and obviously the driver is a limiting factor
adamb1 says:
09:24 AM, 06/20/2011
So, what's the limiting factor here? Tires? Engine? Driver?