Nissan has set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the fastest ever drift. The record was broken with a speed of 304.96 km/hr 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 Przygoski of Poland. The record was set during a special event that took place at Fujairah International Airport, UAE in 2016.

The record-breaking Nissan GT-R was developed with the support and coordination of Nismo specialists and was tuned to 1380 HP in order to set the record. In order to and adapted to the conditions 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. Fujairah International Airport was strategically chosen for its 3km 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 300km/h and Kawabata, who leads in the Japanese drifting series for Team Tokyo. "We were very happy to be able to host such an exciting event," said His Excellency Mohammed Al Salami, Chairman of Fujairah International Airport.

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 tyres that were specially designed for this stunt.