Mad Mike Drifts Franschhoek Pass at 248km/h. World-renowned Kiwi Drift racer releases his latest film shot on location in South Africa. In late September ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett thrilled fans when he travelled to Cape Town and Johannesburg to feature as the main attraction at the ‘Wheels of Fury ‘and ‘Supadrift’ events. Little did the fans know he had something else up his sleeve – he was also in the country to film his latest drift project, a short film entitled ‘Conquer the Cape’.
The project was shot on location at the scenic Franschhoek Pass (known for its tight hairpins and steep drop offs), was closed for the project and under very strict control. In the film Whiddett put his Mazda RX8, dubbed the ‘BADBUL’, through its paces as he attacked the corners of the pass at around 248km/h.
Image: Tyrone Bradley
“The drive itself was just crazy,” Whiddett commented of the pass. “I can compare it a bit to ‘Conquer the Crown’ – a very successful project we did back in New Zealand that was a game-changer for drifting because of the credibility the sport got for the precision driving (which has amounted over 5 million views on YouTube to date). The scenery is very similar, but this road was far more raw, with massive cliff-drops and not much run-off. Not much space for error.”
Image: Craig Kolesky / Nikon
The BADBUL, which travelled directly from the UK to South African shores, is one of five cars in Whiddett’s stable and pushes some 800 horsepower to its tyres. “You know it is one thing with drifting to have heaps of power, but we actually have to have that much power to overcome the amount of grip,” Whiddett explains. “As much as drifting looks like it’s all about just having heaps of power and no grip, it’s actually quite the opposite.”
Image: Tyrone Bradley
The film also features South African hip hop muso uSanele’s track ‘Zengenkani’ as its soundtrack. The track features uSanele’s fellow Boyznbucks member Stilo Magolide and speaks of arriving with an attitude and by force: “The track loosely translated means: we’re here – come hell or high water. Whether they heard us or not, they hear us now,” says uSanele. The energy of the track pairs perfectly to the fast-paced action of the edit.
Image: Tyrone Bradley
