Mad Mike

What got you into racing?

I’ve been into Mazda Rotary engines since the second I heard one at the age of 7. By the age of 13 and never meeting my father I had been very self-taught when it came to maintenance and racing motocross so I started to build my first rotary (yep they were cheap) Then with natural progression with the extreme performance and potential of the rotary engine and my need for adrenaline things went from building rad street cars to very wild drift cars which has now transformed into my professional career, building and racing insane cars all over the world against the most elites.

What is your goal for the next 2 years?

So many goals to accomplish in 2 years but one of the biggest is to continue to grow the credibility of our sport of drifting showcasing it to the masses. I have been very fortunate to showcase drifting at F1, GT3, V8supercars and Goodwood Festival of Speed to name a few. Also, I’m always pushing with my team at Red Bull to grow Red Bull Drift Shifters globally, FIA World Drift Champs, my 11yr old son wants to race his Off-road Mod Kart in USA. Finish our house, family time and get some epic battles on my fresh twin Next Level Racing set up!

What is your favourite race track to race on?

Highlands Motorsport Park is in a league of its own designed by Tony Quinn and right here in New Zealand. I’m fortunate enough to have pushed our 1200hp Mazda MX5 #RADBUL to its absolute extremes filming ‘RADBUL conquers Highlands’ to racing in Tony Quinn’s GT3 team driving the Darrel Lea McLaren 650s.

What do you love about your Next Level Racing product? How is simulation helping your training?

It’s a very addictive set up what I love is being able to switch from drifting, to circuit racing, to rally to stadium trucks so it’s impossible to get bored. The accuracy is incredible and great training for coordination, my son is proof of this he has been racing Off-road Trophy Karts since he was 7yrs old and won many races even against the teenage pros. For me with so many game platforms and tracks available I will familiarise myself by training on the tracks before my championship rounds. With the combination of Next Level Racing, Thrustmaster and Play Tech NZ we have the ultimate racing sim. “Stick it to the wall!” MM