While the movies make drifting seem like an easy thing, it’s not. Coordination between the driver’s arms, legs and eyes is required to ensure that the maneuver is successful and safe. But what if the driver doesn’t have any of these senses?
Meet Bartosz Ostalowski. He is an amputee and is currently a professional drifter. The lack of weapons doesn’t seem to affect his current profession. In fact, he recently set a Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest drift while driving on foot.
Ostalowski set a record on September 30, 2022 in a BMW M3. He started sideways at 172 miles per hour (276.8 kilometers per hour), then held the record speed of 143.9 mph (231.66 km/h) in the 165 feet (50 meters) measuring zone. He managed to do a maximum drift angle of 60 degrees.
The record attempt was made at Pila Airport in Poland, and the video at the top of this page will show you a highlight reel of that record attempt.
The Guinness World Records files show that Bartosz believes the impossible doesn’t exist and that it only exists in the mind. This latest feat just proves it.
Ostalowski lost his arm above the elbow in 2006 in a horrible motorcycle accident. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional drift racer.
Now, Ostalowski is competing in the Polish Drift Championship using a BMW M3 E92 drift modified to suit the situation. Powered by a 7.0-liter LS3 V8, it packs up to 1,000 horsepower (176 kilowatts) and 944 pound-feet (1,280 Newton-meters) of torque. This is sent to the wheels via an 8-speed ZF transmission which Ostalowski himself shifts via a seatbelt over the right shoulder.
