DRIFTING A BMW M5 AT BMW WELT IS MADNESS ONLY A DRIFTBROTHER WOULD DO.
Ever heard of the Driftbrothers? You should have, especially if you’re a BMW fan. Joe and Elias Hountondji are brothers and professional drifters from Ingolstadt, Germany who compete under the Red Bull banner, and their weapons of choice hail from the BMW stable - they do everything under the Driftbrothers name. The Red Bull Driftbrothers team competes in the King Of Europe drifting series, and local fans have been lucky enough to see them in action at Kyalami during the popular M Fest festivities. “I’ve always been fascinated with cars,” says Eli on his Red Bull athlete profile. He took up drifting after a stint in Joe’s old BMW E30 back in 2009. After that, they were both hooked on the sport and the rest, as they say, is history. We’re always on about how Red Bull puts together the coolest content you can find, and what you see here is the result of one of those mad planning sessions. This time around it involves Elias, the new BMW M5 and BMW Welt Munich - the latter being BMW’s combined exhibition, delivery, adventure museum, and event venue located in Munich's district Am Riesenfeld, next to the Olympic Park, near the BMW Headquarters.
The announcement of renovation work at BMW Welt Munich sparked an idea that was initially intended more as a joke. Could the delivery area of the glass building, a platform on the upper floor with a maximum lane width of 4.5 metres, be a possible location for a drift stunt? Would it be spectacular? Sure. Possible? Probably not. Except the idea was born and the timing was spot on with the upcoming renewal of the tarmac at BMW Welt. After some negotiations and more planning, BMW let the Red Bull Driftbrothers (well one of them) loose inside BMW Welt for a little bit of sideways fun. Watch the BMW M5 equipped with BMW M Performance Parts performing in an empty BMW Welt. The latest incarnation of the BMW M5 is a beast of a thing powered by a plug-in hybrid twin-turbocharged V8 that generates an impressive 535 kW of power with a monstrous 1,000 Nm of torque. Many have complained that the car is too heavy because of the electric component, but even though it tops the scales at just over 2,5 tons, it can get to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 305 km/h. The resulting video content is amazing and something that many drift fans have dreamed of doing. The Q&A with Elias is short, but it follows…
Eli, drifting at BMW Welt? What was your first thought when you heard the idea?
I found the idea immediately exciting. It’s a unique opportunity! At the same time, in the back of my mind, I knew right off that we were going to face a couple of challenges.
What was your preparation like? Did you have to do a full rehearsal for the stunt?
In the beginning, there were two variables for me. The car – the new BMW M5 – and the track layout. On the BMW M Driving Experience’s outdoor range, we marked out the track with pylons in advance and also took the opportunity to test drive the M5. One variable remained, though: the track’s surface we’d find at BMW Welt. During an on-site visit, I quickly realised that it was a floor that I had never seen before in my career. So, the tension was enormous and stayed that way right up to the day of filming.
Were special tyres required for the floor in the building?
We brought a range of standard tyres. Thanks to a bit of experience our first choice matched nicely with the floor covering.
What was the biggest challenge in this project?
After the surface proved driftable following the first warm-up laps at BMW Welt, the biggest challenge was to maintain maximum precision with every drift. There was very little space to move the M5 in a drift, and there were countless obstacles on the inside and outside, some of which left only a few inches of clearance for the drift. It was big fun. Only the rear tyres didn’t have a good time during filming. Eli Hountondji, racing driver for Red Bull Driftbrothers
Not your usual drift course: the delivery area for the factory pickup at BMW Welt Munich. Luxury sedan or supercar in a business suit: what can you tell us about the driving experience of the new BMW M5?
The driving experience with the BMW M5 is exceptional. From the response of the powerful, hybrid-assisted V8 to the steering feel and the direct execution of all driver inputs to the fact that you have almost countless options when choosing the set-up. If necessary, you can even unleash all the power to the rear wheels only - it's simply great fun.
Did the curb weight present any obstacle to the stunt?
Not at all. The BMW M5 is super-balanced, it moves directly and precisely. Only the rear tyres didn’t have a good time – could have been my heavy foot on the gas.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off the insanity of drifting a BMW through the BMW Welt. There's lots of danger, but loads of action. This is why Driftborthers have worldwide fans - Elias rocked it: THE M5 DRIFTS THE BMW WELT | BMW M
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