The Tunnel Pass Project

To turn a lifelong dream into reality, you need the right partners at your side.

This was also the case for Red Bull athlete Dario Costa, who not only pushed the boundaries of what was possible with his project, but also inspired a global audience - by becoming the first person to fly an aeroplane through a tunnel.

While speed specialist Dario Costa and Red Bull approached the project with extraordinary passion, partners BMW M and luxury watch manufacturer Hamilton ultimately turned his vision into five world records.

After the Catalca Tunnels near Istanbul were chosen as the location, an intense preparation phase followed, during which Dario was able to minimise his reaction time to 0.25 seconds in 14 months of training.

Together with partner Hamilton, a special watch was designed whose dial could be removed and mounted on the console. This kept Dario's eyes fixed on the mission without losing sight of important timing points.

BMW M was responsible for the high-speed training. With the help of a 360-degree camera on the roof of the car, which was installed exactly at Dario's eye level during the flight, he was able to train over 1,000 times using virtual reality.

Dario's successful tunnel flight not only set five unprecedented world records, but also quickly went viral and received worldwide coverage on TV, in print and on the web. The first video that Red Bull posted on social media was viewed more than 5 million times.

The brand partners also benefited: BMW M used exclusive Tunnel Pass content for further storytelling about the M Series. And the luxury watch, designed in collaboration with brand partner Hamilton and limited to 100 pieces, sold out within minutes.