Photo: Mad Mike Whiddett on Facebook
As car journos, we're supposed to remain impartial when it comes to competitions such a Formula D. However, it's hard not to applaud the efforts of Mad Mike Whiddett when the New Zealand slider invests so much passion into his work.
This is the kind of guy who will spend a weekend evening painting a scale model of his drift machine for the fun of it. However, we're not the only ones to have noticed the man's aura, with Red Bull having supported his extreme Mazda builds for years now.
Nevertheless, Mad Mike doesn't simply stick to maximizing the performance using the given budget. Oh no. This pro tire slasher always likes to stay one step ahead of the others by using his creativity and/or his building skills.
For one thing, using a Mazda Miata, with its "square" wheelbase, for drifting is crazy enough, but the driver has recently come up with the 2.0 incarnation of his Radbull MX-5. We're talking about a Miata Frankenstein here - don't let yourself fooled by the ND-generation body panels, this Mazda actually started out in life as an NC generation.
However, we're here to give you Mad Mike’s latest shenanigan, which sees his Radbull being gifted with beadlock wheels. Last time we checked, the Formula D rulebook stated "beadlocks, wheel screws and any additional form of attachment device between wheel and tire is prohibited." So what's the catch? After all, the image above does show the contraption going through the Formula D inspection.
We're dealing with a trolling move here, as the Kiwi drifter approached wheel specialist Rotiform in order to have his LOL vision turned into reality.
Formula Drift banned beadlocks as such tech solutions mean a wheel set can cost around $10,000 and we've all seen what has happened to Formula One over the years due to skyrocketing budges turning the whole thing into a monopoly game for the top teams to play. Tires coming off the rims tend to be an issue, as teams try to use low tire pressure in their quest for extra grip, so getting a balance is the key here.
This only gives us one extra reason to hold our breath for the inaugural Formula D round, which is set to take place this weekend in Long Beach, CA.
Nevertheless, Mad Mike doesn't simply stick to maximizing the performance using the given budget. Oh no. This pro tire slasher always likes to stay one step ahead of the others by using his creativity and/or his building skills.
For one thing, using a Mazda Miata, with its "square" wheelbase, for drifting is crazy enough, but the driver has recently come up with the 2.0 incarnation of his Radbull MX-5. We're talking about a Miata Frankenstein here - don't let yourself fooled by the ND-generation body panels, this Mazda actually started out in life as an NC generation.
However, we're here to give you Mad Mike’s latest shenanigan, which sees his Radbull being gifted with beadlock wheels. Last time we checked, the Formula D rulebook stated "beadlocks, wheel screws and any additional form of attachment device between wheel and tire is prohibited." So what's the catch? After all, the image above does show the contraption going through the Formula D inspection.
We're dealing with a trolling move here, as the Kiwi drifter approached wheel specialist Rotiform in order to have his LOL vision turned into reality.
Formula Drift banned beadlocks as such tech solutions mean a wheel set can cost around $10,000 and we've all seen what has happened to Formula One over the years due to skyrocketing budges turning the whole thing into a monopoly game for the top teams to play. Tires coming off the rims tend to be an issue, as teams try to use low tire pressure in their quest for extra grip, so getting a balance is the key here.
This only gives us one extra reason to hold our breath for the inaugural Formula D round, which is set to take place this weekend in Long Beach, CA.
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