The Longest Drift Record Goes to the BMW M5

BARRINGTON, Ill. - May 22, 2013 - PRLog -- BMW driving instructor Johan Schwartz absolutely crushed the world drift record earlier this month by sliding sideways for an unbelievable 51.278 miles. This remarkable feat surprised just about everyone. Even the BMW pros at Motor Werks BMW, a premier BMW dealership located in Barrington, Illinois (http://www.motorwerksbmwbarrington.com/dealership/about.htm), were at a loss for words when they received the news.

Just to put this in proper perspective, the previous record, which was set in Abu Dhabi just last February, was 3.568 miles. That’s right—Schwartz annihilated the previous record drift by 47.71 miles.

Another astounding fact is that the BMW M5 Schwartz drove and drifted to the world record was completely stock; no modifications had been made to the car, other than a brand new set of ultra-high performance tires.

The 2013 BMW M5 is the high-performance version of the BMW 5 Series luxury sedan. The standard engine for this midsize 4-door is a robust, fine-tuned, 4.4L twin-turbo V8 that produces 560 hp with 501 lb-ft of torque. A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is standard, with an optional 6-speed manual available at no additional cost. According to the specs, the M5 is capable of going form zero to 60 in 4.2 seconds.

The record-setting drift took place on May 11th at the BMW Performance Center near Greenville, South Carolina, and brought in over $20,000 in donations for the BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament, which benefits more than 150 individual charity organizations.

Needless to say this is one of those “don’t try this at home” stunts. It takes a professional performance driver like Schwartz to successfully maneuver a vehicle into a drift and to sustain it for any substantial amount of time in a safe and controlled manner. The record drift was completed under ideal circumstances on a performance skid pad with a skilled expert behind the wheel.

To learn more about the BMW M5 those interested should visit Motor Werks BMW. They have an excellent inventory of all the new BMW models, and their sales personnel are friendly and very knowledgeable about the exceptional vehicles produced by Bavarian Motor Works.

Their BMW showroom (http://www.motorwerksbmwbarrington.com/dealership/directi...) is located at 1475 South Barrington Road, across the street from The Oaks of Barrington, in Barrington, IL.