Nissan has set the Guinness World Record title for the fastest ever drift. The record was broken with a speed of 189.49 mph and 30 degrees angle using a specially-tuned MY16 Nissan GT-R. Masato Kawabata, the Japanese drift champion and title holder for the Japanese drifting series, clinched the top spot from former record holder Jakub Przygoński of Poland. The record was set during a special event that took place at Fujairah International Airport, UAE.

The record-breaking Nissan GT-R was developed with the support and coordination of Nismo specialists. It was tuned to 1380 HP in order to set the record, and adapted so all the power went to the rear wheels. The GT-R was prepared by GReddy Trust and tested extensively at Japan’s Fuji Speedway facility with Kawabata at the wheel. The car was set up for agility while maintaining stability and confidence-inspiring handling characteristics – essential when performing such challenging feats.

“Once again, Nissan has broken a Guinness World Record title and has made international history for the fifth time in the Middle East,” said Samir Cherfan, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East. “The fact that this achievement was set here in the UAE makes it even more special for our region. Setting this incredibly difficult world record was a clear demonstration of the excitement we are bringing to the Middle East with the Nismo brand.”

Fujairah International Airport was strategically chosen for its 1.86 mile long airstrip which was deemed to be sufficiently long enough for the challenge. From the outset, Nissan wanted to perform the drift at a speed of more than 186 mph and Kawabata, who leads in the Japanese drifting series for Team Tokyo, was chosen from a group of highly specialized competition drivers.

GReddy Trust’s technicians worked on the specially tuned MY16 Nissan GT-R setup on site in the three days leading up to the event and had only three attempts to break the record as per strict guidelines set by Guinness World Records. Support was also provided by technicians and logistics personnel from the Prodrift Academy, Recaro for the driver’s seat, RAYS for the supply of special, lightweight alloy wheels and Toyo Tires for the drift tires that were specially designed for this stunt.

Courtesy of Speedville.