'Mad Mike' Whiddett drifts to local shores
'Mad Mike' Whiddett has drifted a car up a mountain range in his native New Zealand and powerslid across a frozen lake in Japan, and now he's set to excite South Africa's drifting enthusiasts as he heads to local shores in September.
Source: Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
“I’ve heard so much about the South African fans and I can’t wait to get out there. I've seen the local SA drift scene in clips and it looks like a whole lot of fun,” said Whiddett from Japan where he was participating in Formula Drift.
Whiddett’s car, a 2004 Mazda RX8 dubbed the ‘Badbul,’ is being shipped directly from his appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. “The Badbul is our three-rotor turbo machine, equipped with the best products on the market. It has just finished wowing the crowds in the UK for Goodwood Festival of Speed where we took home the coveted 'Driver of the Event' award,” Whiddett said. ”High horsepower, killer sound - I know it will be well received in South Africa."
The ‘Mad Mike’ moniker hails from early on in his motorsport career – something he was called whilst participating in a freestyle motocross event. Although he hated being called ‘Mad Mike’ in the beginning and thought it was pretty cheesy, it stuck. He thinks it’s rather cool now.
Whiddett will be in South Africa to appear at two events – Wheels of Fury on the 17 September at Grand West in Cape Town and then the SupaDrift Series at Carnival City on 24 September. He’ll also be filming an episode of his reality series ‘My Mad Mike Life’ while in the country.
