Longest continuous vehicle drift on ice (electric car)

The longest continuous vehicle drift on ice (electric car) measures 17.503 km (10.876 mi) and was achieved by Jens Richter (Germany), sponsored by Porsche AG (Germany) at the Porsche Arctic Center, Levi, Finland, on 14 January 2025.

This attempt took place in the elite Porsche Arctic Centre, located in the icy mountains of Levi, Finland.

Driver Jens Richter got his first attempt underway as he drifted across the start line in the custom designed, white and purple electric Porsche Taycan, he then continued to show his unique driving talent over the following 29mins… The impressive skill of drifting itself, the ability to hold the drift continuously, the precision of where and how to use the course, trying to avoid using the same area of ice throughout the entire attempt (as this significantly effects the performance for both car and driver), plus the laser sharp focus and impressive endurance to repeat this over and over throughout the record attempt.

81 laps in and 11.1km covered, the car comes to an immediate stop and with it, the record attempt was over but why? Well, the answer was mainly to do with the weather, one section of the track had become too warm during the attempt which over time meant there was too much output from the car to get through this section to keep the vehicle in a drift, this caused multiple issues for driver Jens.

The team regrouped, waiting for the track to refreeze over again which also gave them time to recharge the car and work on any adjustments needed ahead of their next attempt.

Attempt number 2 - With the sun going down, the air temperature dropping towards -5, the team got the track ready, the car prepped and Jens fed, now it was time to go again, we could all feel the nerves in the icy cold air, Jens got the attempt underway but this time with a clear change in strategy, the car was closer to the inside of the track for the first third of the attempt, making the circle smaller, energy output lower and most importantly, this meant Jens could work his way towards the outside of the circle saving the ice for when he needed the extra throttle towards the end of the attempt.

When he passed the previous 81 laps, the Porsche team all seemed to go very quiet as the anticipation was building…

100 laps done, over 13km covered and Jens was looking good, there was already several times which looked like he had to save the drift, as the smallest incorrect turn, too much or not enough power by the smallest margin, meant the car would quickly come out of the drift with no room for error.

110 laps done and the team was on the countdown to break the current record of 14.809km, with the car performing at its absolutely maximum, it somehow seemed to fall dead silent on the frozen race track in Levi BUT there it was, the moment everyone had worked so hard for, 14.809km was broken, the fireworks went off and everyone was celebrating but the question then became, how much could Jens beat this by?

Well, the answer is 2.694km, because over 132 laps and 46min, Jens managed to completely empty the battery of the Porsche and deliver a final total distance of 17.503km making this a new Guinness World Records achievement.

To give you an idea of the power output to perform this drift, the car covered 17.503km on a full battery which driving on the roads would normally equal over 500+ km.