Seeing is believing at Mad Mike’s Summer Bash

Seeing is believing at Mad Mike’s Summer Bash

Motorsport

Seriously. With 1.5 million YouTube views already (and that is just of his ‘build log’ (which you can watch here – https://youtu.be/tM7ect2EY_E everyone who wanted to know what Kiwi drifter ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett’s latest car, the wild Red Bull-backed Lamborghini Huracan drifter, looked and went like, already had a fairly good idea.

That didn’t stop thousands of dedicated fans descending on Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, however, on a hot, dry December 7th, 2019, to see the impossibly low-slung, impossibly aggressive-looking ‘Nimbul’ for themselves at the Mikester’s fourth annual Summer Bash event.

Summer Bash has been pulling some of the biggest and definitely most vocal and ‘engaged’ crowds to the north-Waikato circuit since the first one back in 2016 and the latest one – which will be remembered as ‘the Nimbul one’ – was no different.

Punters of all ages, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds packed out the carparks and poured through the gates from well before 8.00am until well after 5.00pm (when the Drift Comp was hotting up).

Summer Bash is first and foremost a drift meet and Nimbul was built as a drift rather than a show car. 

So, to watch Mad Mike searing round the ‘club’ and ‘national’ circuits, Nimbul often almost lost in billowing clouds of tyre smoke was a highlight for many of the punters who made the effort to attend.

Mike hasn’t forgotten his roots, though, hence the popular hour-long track ‘cruise’ sessions which have become an integral part of a Summer Bash event.

Nor has he forgotten how to drive, as he proved when he jumped in his Mazda MX5-based Radbul and finished second to defending Summer Bash drift comp title holder and four-time former D1NZ champ Gaz Whiter in the day-ending drift battle.

Publishing Information
Page Number:
35
Related Articles
Hartley Wins
Kiwi Brendon Hartley, together with Sébastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa have won the manufacturer’s title in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Racing the Toyota Gazoo Racing #8 GR010...
Kiwis at speed
Hulme, McLaren, Riley, Oxton, Millen. For a tiny nation that is thousands of km from anywhere, New Zealand has produced a consistent stream of world class – and world champion – race drivers. With...
Paddon wins but Hunt takes the lead
Hayden Paddon has romped to a dominant win at the Daybreaker Rally, but Ben Hunt has taken control of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship lead. Paddon showcased his world...