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Mad Mike Whiddett hoons Mazda RX-8 in crazy drift video

Triple-rotor RX-8 carves up mega mountain pass.

Mad Max RX-8 drifting
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THERE is no feeling quite like finding a nice twisting piece of bitumen, and then discovering there isn’t a single car ahead of you.

It is a moment that is rare to find, but something worth cherishing when it happens.

Well, Kiwi drift master ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett has taken that moment, and amplified it by ten.

The rotary-loving tyre slayer has just dropped a new video, which involved him drifting his triple-rotor turbo Mazda RX-8 Drift Car down South Africa’s fabled Fransheok pass.

Located 75-kilometres outside of Cape Town, the winding route includes sheer cliffs and hairpin bends, and Whiddett tackles it all at full throttle.

Mazda -RX-8-drifting"The drive itself is just crazy. There's not much space for error,” Whiddett said.

Crazy is a bit of an understatement, with the Kiwi hitting speeds of up to 248km/h during his runs and its custom-built triple-rotor engine wailing to 8,800rpm.

Mazda -RX-8-drifting -down -roadThe Formula D driver called his pass on the 14.9-kilometre road his “scariest drift project yet”.

Impressive, when you consider Whiddett created a drift competition on the Auckland foreshore which included drifting under an elevated semi-trailer, and has previously attacked the imposing Crown Range in New Zealand.

The Red Bull driver didn’t hold back during his run either, dragging the rear-bumper of his RX-8 against the Armco with nothing but a few shrubs and a sheer drop on the other side.

Whiddett will be in Australia for this weekend’s World Time Attack Challenge at Sydney, taking part in the drifting competition against the likes of three-time Formula D champion Chris Forsberg and D1GP Champion Diago Siato.

Max -Max -drift -Mazda -RX-8The New Zealand driver has a reputation for only drifting rotary powered cars, and has a fleet of Mazdas which he drives both in competition and for promotions around the world.

Thank god for those crazy Kiwis.

Cameron Kirby
Contributor

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