Manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, very balanced chassis, atmospheric engine and generous power (ok, it could be a little more generous…) make the Japanese sports car an accessible machine that is relatively easy to explore at the limit.
Knowing this, South African journalist Jesse Adams set out to test the Toyota GT86's dynamic skills – and his own abilities as a driver – in an attempt to beat the Guinness Record for the longest drift ever.
The previous record was held by the German Harald Müller since 2014, who at the wheel of a Toyota GT86 managed to cover 144 km sideways… literally. An impressive record, no doubt, but this Monday ended up being beaten by a large margin.
At Gerotek, a test center in South Africa, Jesse Adams not only managed to overcome 144 km but also reached 168.5 km, always in drift, for 5 hours and 46 minutes. Adams completed a total of 952 laps of the circuit, at an average speed of 29 km/h.
With the exception of an additional fuel tank, placed in the spare tire area, the Toyota GT86 used for this record has not undergone any modifications. As with the previous record, the track was constantly wet – otherwise the tires wouldn't hold up.
All data were collected through two dataloggers (GPS) and sent to the Guinness World Records. If confirmed, Jesse Adams and this Toyota GT86 are the new record holders for the longest drift ever. When it comes to the fastest drift in the world, there's no one to beat the Nissan GT-R…
