Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo is getting ready for the Formula 1 opener at Albert Park this weekend. The Australian driver is used to being millimetrically perfect to get the best lap out of his race car. But, despite the pressure of the upcoming race, he took some time off and went for a wild ride with “Mad Mike” Whiddett.
Mad Mike is known for his ability to get high-powered machines very, very sideways. Both Whiddett and Ricciardo drive Red Bull-branded machines, but the cars couldn’t be more different. Ricciardo’s RB14 is developed to set blistering lap times around a track, while Mad Mike’s 1,200HP four-rotor Miata is made to go sideways everywhere.
And boy does the “Radbul”, as it’s nicknamed, get sideways. Thanks to its twin-turbocharged, four-rotor 26B-TT rotary engine, the angry-looking roadster doesn’t have a problem making a smoke show around Albert Park. The racetrack is a gorgeous backdrop for a F1 race, but watching the mad Miata drifting on it is pure entertainment.
Ricciardo straps into the passenger seat and joins Mad Mike for a joyride, and he seems to have fun. And why wouldn’t he? Just the sound of the four-rotor engine alone is enough to put a smile on his face. So being able to join Mad Mike in the vehicle while flames are being shot out of the car’s hood must have been a real treat.
Now the outrageous drift car looks like its based off of the new ND MX-5 Miata, but it’s reportedly still a NC underneath. In other words, it’s the same vehicle we’ve seen Mad Mike drift before, and it’s just insane.
Thus, you might want to put on a set of headphones and watch the crazy Miata does its thing on the track in the video that follows.