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Porsche Taycan breaks EV drift record, covering more than 42km over 55 minutes

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Sam JeremicThe West Australian
The Porsche Taycan breaks the EV drift record.
Camera IconThe Porsche Taycan breaks the EV drift record. Credit: Supplied

A rear-wheel-drive Porsche Taycan has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest drift in an electric car, covering more than 42km.

Porsche instructor Dennis Retera kept the Taycan sideways for 210 laps of the 200m drift circle at the Porsche Experience Centre in Hockenheim, Germany.

After 55 minutes at an average speed of 46km/h, the Dutchman had covered 42.171km, with a supervising Guinness judge officially giving the record the tick of approval after consulting GPS and yaw rate sensors within the vehicle, plus footage from a camera installed on the roof of the track’s control tower.

The Porsche Taycan breaks the EV drift record.
Camera IconThe Porsche Taycan breaks the EV drift record. Credit: Supplied

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Retera has experience in racing karts, open seaters and endurance races, but said this was a unique challenge.

“It was very tiring for me to keep my concentration high for 210 laps, especially as the irrigated asphalt of the drift circuit does not provide the same grip everywhere,” he said.

“I concentrated on controlling the drift with the steering – this is more efficient than using the accelerator pedal and reduces the risk of spinning.”

The rear-wheel-drive Taycan is currently only available in China, but will be released in the US and Europe soon.

The Porsche Taycan breaks the EV drift record.
Camera IconThe Porsche Taycan breaks the EV drift record. Credit: Supplied

There are no current plans for an Australian release.

As impressive as it was, the mark is well short of the longest drift ever.

In 2018, BMW driving instructor Johan Schwartz drifted a whopping 374km over eight hours and even used another M5 drifting alongside to refuel the car on the move.

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