Unboxing with the fastest drift
The record for ‘smartphone unboxed while performing the fastest drift in a sports car’ was set by Power Drift Studios in association with OnePlus India. Gaurav Gill drifted the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder at a high speed.
The record for ‘smartphone unboxed while performing the fastest drift in a sports car’ was set by Power Drift Studios in association with OnePlus India. Lamborghini Huracan Spyder was driven at a speed of 205.47 kmph and drifted while the all-new OnePlus 11 was unboxed inside the car at the National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh on February 4, 2023. Thus earning a well deserved spot into the prestigious India Book of Records (IBR).
INRC and APRC Champion Gaurav Gill, who drove and drifted the car, is a professional rally driver and an Indian motorsports athlete. He is the first sportsperson from motorsports to win the coveted Arjuna Award from the President of India in 2019. His achievements include being the first Indian driver to win the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC ) three times in 2013, 2016, and 2018. He also holds the record for the most number of Championship wins for the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), with 7 titles in the four-wheelers rally category. He is a WRC2 Driver with Team JK Tyre and 3 times Indian Racing Champion.
Jagatpriyan, the Producer, told the India Book of Records magazine that the attempt was to set the national record for the fastest drift at over 200 kmph in a controlled and safe environment in a production car while unboxing a phone. The record attempt was made using a Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder RWD car. A run-up of about 400 meters was taken to get the car up to a speed of 220 kmph, after which the car was put into a drift using a technique known as a Scandinavian Flick. Post initiating the drift, the car was held in the drift for a few seconds and the drift speed was recorded at 205.47 kmph, establishing the record.”
NATRAX, Pithampur is an automotive proving ground and testing facility which is utilised by various automotive and component manufacturers to develop, test, and certify their products in a controlled environment. The facility offers various types of testing tracks, one of which is the Dynamic Platform, which was used for setting the record.
Planning for the record began with consulting Gaurav Gill and the direction team at Powerdrift. After evaluation of various airstrips, racetracks, and testing facilities, the Dynamic Platform at NATRAX was selected as being the best suited for the record attempt as it offers a 1.5 km straight stretch that leads to a 300-meter diameter circular pad which was used for the Fastest Drift.
A series of reconnaissance trips were made to NATRAX with Gaurav Gill, the Powerdrift Production team, and the NATRAX officials to plan the maneuver and take various measurements of distance, estimates of speed, and margins for error were calculated before it was decided to proceed with attempting the record. Ten sets of tyres were secured in order to maintain the safety of the car when making various practice and record attempt runs. The shoot was finally planned on February 4th, 2023, and was successfully executed in its entirety within one day, securing the record.
Apart from the Powerdrift Studios team and Gaurav Gill, various vendors were involved in the execution phase of the activity, namely Prasad Nagarkar, who provided the car for the attempt, and Mohak from Sushila Autotechnik, who provided technical support for the car. Chequered Flag, the event company, that helped secure NATRAX as the shoot location and provided on-ground production support. RD Equipment, Mumbai provided the high-speed Phantom cameras and operators, and Accord Equips Pune provided cameras, accessories, and operators for the shoot