Still pushing the limits: meet Australia’s first record-breaking female para-drifter

For Christina Vithoulkas (Australia), the thrill of motorsport has always been about pushing the limits. Even after a life-changing accident left her paralysed, she wasn’t ready to leave that passion behind.

Now 31 years old, Christina is Australia’s first female para-drifter, a public speaker, content creator, and Guinness World Records title holder.

On 19 July 2025, she achieved the most drifting revolutions in a prototype hand-controlled car in one minute (female), completing 11 revolutions.

But her journey to getting back behind the wheel began long before her record-breaking moment.

Christina began riding dirt bikes at the age of 19 back in 2014, before progressing to jumping ramps in 2016. 

She was a competitive local and state motocross driver for over five years, and on 29 September 2018, she started her day as normal.

In the morning, she planned to go riding, and in the afternoon, she was planning to go and watch football with her friends.

But everything changed during a routine practice session.

When she arrived to do her usual speed checks, something felt off. Christina said: “I wasn’t feeling very confident with the run-up to the ramp as it had a lot of loose rocks, so we grabbed a conveyor belt to put in front of it. 

“I can only imagine I took off a lot slower to avoid overjumping, and as my twin sister recalls, I landed on the top of the deck, my legs bounced up in the air, and I eventually landed next to my bike on my head.”

Christina lay unconscious for some time and was left with a range of injuries: a fractured skull, broken T5, T6, and T7 vertebrae, a lacerated spleen, along with ligaments in her neck and shoulder, leaving her instantly paralysed. 

For Christina, she came to terms with reality quickly as she realized she couldn’t feel her legs. The first few weeks of her recovery were spent in hospital, surrounded by family and friends.

Always keen to see the brighter side of a situation, Christina said: “I made the most of it and got my eyelashes and nails done. 

“I was transferred to Melbourne to do my rehab, and that’s when it wasn’t as fun, I just wanted to get home to normality as soon as possible.

“I chose to look at it like a challenge and boot camp for my brain and get out as soon as possible, and I left in two months.”

Recovering from the incident itself, though, felt like an incredibly slow process for Christina, as it felt like four years had passed before her energy levels and independence felt back to normal.

This didn’t stop her from doing the things that she loves, Christina told us: “I’ve travelled across Australia and been blessed with some awesome opportunities to be able to live my life to the fullest, and I’m so grateful for that! 

“This injury was a wake-up call to remind myself life was too short to be spending it doing things that made me feel miserable.”

Although her accident changed the way Christina could take part in motorsport, it didn’t dampen her enthusiasm for it.

With a specially modified, hand-controlled car, she was able to continue pursuing her passion for driving.

The prototype was built by Dean Rossiter with further modifications from BSC Performance, Mackielec Industries, alongside help from her boyfriend, Jesse.

Christina told us: “Someone reached out and asked me if I would like to attempt the title for most drifting revolutions in a prototype hand-controlled car in one minute (female), and I’m the type of person to always say yes to new opportunities.”

Christina and her boyfriend Jesse

Read more Sports and Fitness records in our dedicated section!

To drift to her heart’s content was amazing for Christina; she said: “It felt so much fun in the moment because I love doing doughnuts, but we usually don’t do too many of them, and I was proud to be pushing myself.”

After completing 11 drifting revolutions in the space of a minute, Christina was honoured to be representing the disabled community as a Guinness World Records title holder.

Christina featured in Guinness World Records 2027, which you can buy now!

With a passion to keep going, Christina is a true inspiration, and she’s striving to inspire others: “I’m hoping it inspires more females with disabilities to go out there and beat it! 

“I don’t care if I only have the record for the one year, I just want to see more people giving things a crack and stepping out of their comfort zone while breaking down stereotypes that most disabled people have.”