Achievement in the Arctic Circle

The ice track at Porsche Arctic Center in Levi, Finland was the setting of a Guinness World Record title for the longest continuous vehicle drift on ice by an electric vehicle.

The vehicle in question was a Porsche Taycan driven by the brand’s Experience instructor Jens Richter, who managed 132 laps in controlled oversteer around the ice track covering 17.5 kilometres over 46 minutes. This beat the previous record of 14.809 kilometers, with Richter explaining afterwards how the track “deteriorated faster than expected" causing the first attempt to be aborted after 11 kilometres.

Michelin tyres with shorter one-millimetre spikes and a drop in temperature were key changes for the successful second attempt as Richter kept the standard Taycan GTS in a controlled drift using only throttle and steering interventions.

Specialist circuit layout

A 59 metre in diameter drift circle was created for the record attempt at Porsche’s Arctic Center in Finland, with specialist equipment fitted to the Taycan to measure the precise route and document distance travelled, steering wheel movements, accelerating, braking and G-force.

Watching on was an official adjudicator from Guinness World Records who presented the record certificate to driver Jens Richter and Christian Lehwald, Managing Director of the Porsche Arctic Centre.

Fourth World Record for the Taycan

The record set is the fourth from the electric Taycan. In 2020, Dennis Retera drifted 210 laps at the Porsche Experience Center Hockenheimring, covering 42.171 kilometers in 55 minutes.

The following year, racing driver Leh Keen accelerated 102.5mph in an exhibition hall in New Orleans, setting the record for the fastest speed driven by a vehicle in an enclosed building. The third record came in 2023 when a Taycan Cross Turismo managed the greatest altitude change by an electric car at 5,573 metres along the Xinjiang-Tibet route.

words: Mike Booth
pictures & video: Porsche