Motorsport has dominated ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett’s life since he started riding a dirt bike at 6-years-old. In 2000, he took part in one of the first freestyle motocross demonstrations in New Zealand where his crazy stunts earned him the nickname ‘Mad Mike’. Four years later he discovered drifting.

He crashed in his first drift event in 2007 but finished second next time out. That same year he made his debut in the USA and he’s competed in Formula Drift in the US in 2010, 2015 and 2016. He won the World Powerslide Championship in 2012 and came up with the concept for the Red Bull Drift Shifters event in Auckland.

In 2013, a video of him drifting the Crown Range went viral and it has over 6 million views on YouTube. He has over 2 million followers on Facebook more than Dan Carter, Richie McCaw or Kiwi UFC star, Israel Adesanya. He's sponsored by Red Bull and Mazda and he recently opened a new store and workshop he calls MadLab at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park where he runs regular drifting clinics.

In this episode Mike talks about...

—  why drifting is the circus of motorsport;

— why he hated the name ‘Mad Mike’;

— surviving broken bones, 20 concussions and being told he was paralysed for life;

— selling everything and going all in with his then partner, now wife, to try and make a career from drifting;

— the vital role his wife Toni has played in building the business;

— how he built a personal brand by accident, how his former career as a signwriter helped and his natural eye for design;

— the importance of engagement on social media and managing it yourself;

— cracking 10,000 followers on Facebook and how he got to over 2 million!

— how having their first child made Mike and Toni more determined than ever to succeed;

— growing up without his Dad and why his Mum made sure he never missed having him around;

— signing his first sponsorship deals and how being himself paid off big time;

— the sacrifices he made for success and living the dream;

— on living life full throttle;

... and much more.