The top driving world records
The motoring industry is synonymous with competition with Formula One, rally driving, and NASCAR being some of the most high-octane extreme sports around. Despite their differences, they all share one common objective: to be the fastest.
In pursuit of speed, there have been many single attempts and individuals that have stood out among the rest for all sorts of driving associated accomplishments. Step up your motoring knowledge with these record breaking attempts throughout the years.
Fastest car wheel change – 49.03 seconds
Let's face it: nobody enjoys changing their car wheel. It can be a tedious, stressful, and, if you don't know what you're doing, long process.
Not if you happen to be driving with the record-breaking mechanics from Austrian tyre specialist Lucky Car though: they hold the record for changing all four wheels on a road car in a staggering 49.03 seconds, putting the rest of us to shame in the process.
The technicians achieved this feat in October 2021, beating the previous holders who accomplished their record 6 years prior on a Ford Focus.
Longest road trip - 460,476 miles
Looking at this world record entry, it's fair to say we'll never, ever complain about having to endure a long journey again.
Having shipped their Toyota Land Cruiser from Iceland to New York, Swiss couple, Emil and Liliana Schmid embarked on a journey that has seen them drive nearly 500,000 miles across 186 countries.
Their journey began way back in 1984, and as of April 2017, the record is still in place. This officially makes it the longest road trip in the world.
Most consecutive donuts - 280
UK racing and stunt driver, Jamie Morrow, managed to pull off an impressive 280 donuts back in September 2011 at the UKs Silverstone Race circuit in front of 5,000 audience members.
Performed in a Westfield Sport 1600, the record took Morrow more than 17 minutes to perform; enough to make your head spin for sure.
Fastest time to park 50 cars - 22 minutes and 16.7 seconds
The dreaded car park. Staring out into a car park with zero free spaces stirs up feelings of anxiety in all of us. It’s enough to make you wonder, how long would it take to park so many cars?
Brodie Branch managed to park 50 cars of all shapes and sizes in Gatwick airport car park in 2012.It took Mr. Brand just over 20 minutes to safely manoeuvre all 50 cars into place, and the record still stands today.
Tightest reverse parallel park - 34cm
Parallel parking is perhaps one of the most difficult driving manoeuvres to take on. It requires skill, precision and above all, patience.
Not one for the faint-hearted or practicing outside your house - Alastair Moffatt from Stunt Drive UK set this record in 2015, beating the previous record of 35cm by just 1cm.
To accomplish this record, Alastair used a classic Mini Cooper and, by doing so, managed to create one of the most Italian Job-esque driving world records of all-time.
Fastest standing mile speed - 238.232 mph
Drag races are the epitome of even competition in motorsports. Two drivers, both placed at the same point on a racetrack must race to the end. Sounds simple, right?
Well, not if you find yourself up against Johnny Bohmer. In October 2012, Johnny Bohmer set the world record for the fastest standing mile driven in a car with his 1,700 horsepower Ford GT. At the event, the souped-up roadster reached a face melting 283.232 mph, making it one of the Guinness World Records fastest cars.
Fastest pit stop in F1 - 1.8 seconds
Formula one is all about being fast. From the engine to the pit stop, everything is finely tuned and optimised for speed.
As a result, there have been some impressively quick pit stops throughout the years. But, the time clocked in by the McLaren Formula 1 team at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix stands as the quickest. At the race, the team replaced all four tyres on Lando Norris’ car in a mere 1.8 seconds – beating Red Bull’s previous record by 2 tenths of a second.
That makes the entire pit stop a whopping 27 times faster than the record for tyre changing on a regular car.
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Accomplishments such as these remind us of just how dedicated the motoring community is to its craft.
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