A decade after first taking drifting to Goodwood, Kiwi drifter ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett is raising the bar again with his wildest project to-date: rotary-swapped, 1,000-horsepower (745kW), flame spitting McLaren drift hypercar named ‘MadMac’.
As documented over recent months on his YouTube channel, Mad Mike's MadLab teamed up with British automotive engineering specialists Lanzante to combine "technical knowledge, engineering expertise, and off-the-wall thinking."
Lanzante, led by Dean Lanzante, provided the foundations for the project combining an inherently strong and versatile McLaren carbon fibre chassis with additional safety from an FIA-approved rollcage. Lazante's team scanned and developed bespoke P1 GTR LM bodywork, which was stretched in all directions, giving a much more aggressive rear stance, as well as wider front arches to accommodate the expected steering adjustments needed for Mike to perform his iconic drifting style.
"We pride ourselves in our projects, and creating some of the most show-stopping vehicles, but MadMac has
taken this to a new level," said Dean Lezante.
"Everything we do is completed to the highest level, so to have a chance to work with Mad Mike - the best in the business - and to take on a new challenge in a different area of the sport, was something we simply couldn’t say no to.
"The work Mike and his team have taken on, with the deadline of unveiling at Goodwood, shows the confidence and the abilities they hold. It is the perfect celebration for Mike’s 10 years of drifting at the Festival of Speed, and we are honoured to have played a part in it."
After Lezante was done with the P1, it was time for Mike and his crew to start stage 2.
From the Lanzante workshop in Petersfield, UK, MadMac was air freighted to the MadLab at Hampton Downs, New Zealand, with 100 days until its return flight to UK was booked for its Goodwood debut.
This was the first time Mike had got up close to the unique Lanzante build and, while ideas had been conceptualised, the exact plans around the final build were only developed as they learnt more about what could be done with it, including how to transition from a high downforce track car to one which could drift in proper Mad Mike style.
As the New Zealand stage of the MadMac project commenced, a pivotal moment came for the team as
they looked at how to genuinely build the world’s ‘wildest’ drift hypercar, and how best to extract the necessary performance they wanted from the vehicle. And, being Mad Mike, this meant a rotary was needed.
The decision was made to swap the McLaren's 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 for a custom, MadLab-built, three rotor billet 20B turbo rotary engine in order to extract the maximum power from a powerplant the MadLab team understood. As well as "go with what’s in Mike’s DNA".
Mad Mike is well known for rotary engines in almost all his drift builds, but MadMac has taken this to the
next level. The original factory-fit sequential transmission from the McLaren was retained and the team worked quickly to design, create and install a bespoke transfer case to connect the flame-spitting rotary engine with the original gearbox.
Custom uprights, a steering rack to provide further steering rotation required for drifting, designing bespoke wheels, and installing a custom Haltech ECU and dashboard to ensure full control were all further modifications made to the P1 over the next 100 days to transform it into a drift monster.
Then came the transformation from GT3-style steering wheel mounted paddle shifting gear changes to a modified gaming-style gear shifter and installing a hydraulic handbrake, while a trip to Japan to work with legendary bodykit designer Rocket Bunny was also squeezed into the frantic schedule.
Then, once all of this – and much more – had been implemented, Mad Mike strapped himself in, and took MadMac out around
With further development work continuing after a number of private shakedowns and testing days at Hampton Downs Motorsports Park, the team bid farewell to their "ultimate build" at Auckland airport, where MadMac was loaded on to a flight and transported back to England to the Lanzante team who would ready it for its debut at Goodwood.
"It is fair to say that MadMac is the biggest challenge I have set myself in terms of builds, and it has been a huge effort by the whole team to get a project of this magnitude complete in just 100 days," said Mike.
"The reveal of any project is always the most rewarding part, as it is an opportunity to step away from the overall build, and we get to see what fans and the wider world think of our efforts. Goodwood is the number 1 event for me of the year, and we have revealed some of our best builds there over the years, but this one is extra special.
"It's a perfect way to celebrate 10 years of drifting at the Festival of Speed, and a very proud moment to honour my fellow New Zealander, Bruce McLaren."
