How India’s ‘Drift King’ Sanam Sekhon took motorsport to new heights, like literally: 'Chaos under control'

Sanam Sekhon, popularly known as India’s Drift King, has made it to the Guinness World Records for performing the highest altitude car drift ever attempted. The record-breaking drift took place on 31 July at Umling La in Ladakh, which is the world’s highest motorable pass at 19,023 feet above sea level.

The massive feat was achieved under extreme weather and terrain conditions, with sub-zero temperatures, thin air, and uneven roads. Sanam, who is the winner of the inaugural JK Tyre Drift Challenge in 2023, performed the stunt in a modified Lexus GS300.

Where air thins by half, engines lose power, and winds roar up to 80 km/h, Levitas Ultra gripped the impossible and drifted into history. pic.twitter.com/BVdsOhf6C3

— JK Tyre (@JKTyreCorporate) October 11, 2025

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When asked about his record-breaking feat, Sanam said the feeling is still sinking in. “It’s still settling in, to be honest. There was a lot of planning for almost a month. Every day we had to make sure everything was going as per plan. Once it was done, it took some time to sink in, but yeah, it was great to feel once it was done.”

‘Drifting is chaos under control’

For those new to the sport, Sanam explained that drifting is not about losing control but mastering it. “It’s like chaos under control. You’re literally driving the car by the power of rear wheels. The steering does a bit, but mostly the rear does more action,” Sanam said in this exclusive chat with Firstpost.

Sanam and his team brought in a tuner from Thailand, who specialises in Toyota’s JZ engines, to make the car ready for the thin oxygen levels in Ladakh. Speaking about his car setup, Sanam said, “This was a 2JZ-GTE inline six cylinder engine by Toyota with a single turbo.”

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“Since oxygen is so less, we had to lean the car a lot to make sure that we have enough power to do the record. So, the tuner took about an hour or so to get everything going and that was mostly done by the laptop controlling the ECM. And yeah, that was mostly it. And there was a special fuel that we had to blend and use,” he explained.

At the world’s highest motorable pass, oxygen runs low but adrenaline runs high.

Sanam Sekhon, on JK Tyre Levitas Ultra, sets a Guinness World Record for drifting at Umling La Pass, Ladakh, India on 31st July, 2025#JKTyre #LevitasOnTop #DeshKaTyre #DeshKaRecord #TotalControl pic.twitter.com/F35ZVVTaZU

— JK Tyre (@JKTyreCorporate) October 9, 2025

‘First time I felt my car was running out of power’

Sanam explained that drifting at high altitude was a completely new challenge for him compared to normal tracks at sea level. “It’s very, very, very different. This was probably the first time I felt my car was running out of power. Even first gear felt sluggish. But the tuner did a really good job and helped us get there,” he said.

Sanam said the team had made good safety arrangements before attempting the record, given the risks involved at such a height. “We had done a recce and planned a lot of things around it. There was an ambulance from the Army on standby and another one just for accidents. One was even specialised for high-altitude sickness. I’m just glad nothing went south,” he said.

JK Tyre’s role in the success

Sanam credited JK Tyre for playing a major part in making the record possible. “I think the entire role was with JK. They believed in everything I asked for. On that rough surface at that altitude, the tyres behaved absolutely perfectly. Whatever inputs I gave, the tyres responded exactly like they do on normal grounds,” he said.

Reflecting on the experience, Sanam said the record taught him a big life lesson. “Nothing comes in easy. We thought we’d just go, drift, and come back. But it was a different ballgame altogether. The whole team went through a lot, and we were really surprised by how well the tyres performed. By the end, we were like - all boxes ticked, this is done.”

A message to young drifters

Sanam also had advice for youngsters who want to take up drifting as a sport. “Since the sport is growing, I hope people look at it in the right direction.

“I know bike stunting has taken a negative hit, though many professionals do it the right way. I just hope drifting doesn’t go that route and people treat it as a serious discipline in motorsport,” he concluded.