As David Coulthard put it, in his usual cocky, humorous style, ‘Make sure you have a world class golfer and an ageing ex racing driver, otherwise don’t bother!’. Professional golfer Jake Shepherd hit a golf ball at 178mph into a Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster, driven by the ‘ageing ex racing driver’ Coulthard at a speed of 120mph when it caught the ball 275 meters away from the tee.
Speaking about the astonishing catch, Coulthard said: “The only way to track the ball was to keep your eyes on it all the time: it’s a real adrenaline rush but it’s not the most comfortable thing to do because for a moment, you’re not watching the road!” He continued: “I was as happy as I’ve ever been winning a Grand Prix because I was so surprised quite frankly that it went in, and went in so solidly!”
The entire sequence was verified by a Guinness World Record adjudicator who confirmed the unbelievable achievement secured the title of ‘farthest golf shot caught in a moving car’.
David George, Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars Marketing Director, added: “The SLS AMG Roadster is an extraordinary car so we wanted to do something extraordinary with it to celebrate our association with the upcoming Open Championship, and what better way than to break a world record and create such an exciting film!”
Oh and if you’re wondering if the track looks familiar, it is the Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey, parts of which make up the Top Gear test track!
All three videos below!
The record setting successful attempt
The ‘almost got it’ attempts
Behind the scenes, a must watch!