MAD MIKE’S ASIA BASED FD REVEALED

Japan-based rotary tuning company TCP Magic is busy adding the finishing touches to a new FD RX-7 for ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett to compete in during the Asiabased rounds of the Formula Drift World Championship. Mike has a long-standing relationship with Kawato-San of TCP, who has previously built both the ICEBUL and JAPBUL. The new RX-7, which debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon has been dubbed HUMBUL, this is in honour of TCP’s owner Taisuke Kawato, who Mike says is the most humble person he has met. The new car features a 26B quad rotor with a pair of GCG-supplied Garrett turbos, Haltech ECU, Hollinger 6-speed sequential and ASDprepared Winters quick change diff. This is a similar package to Mike’s MX-5 which is currently under construction at PPRE — although he did point out both packages have been engineered differently due to the unique approaches by both Warren from PPRE and Kawato-San from TCP. Both vehicles will run nitrous and it’s likely that HUMBUL will see 1200HP at the wheels. “We are trying to keep the new cars as identical as possible, although both chassis are totally different. We have a lot of knowledge and we are very confident with the FD chassis, and with HUMBUL running a very similar suspension package to JAPBUL (which out of all the cars has by been the most well developed and competitive chassis) it’s a known entity but without the top end that MADBUL had. But now the car is running effectively with a 1200hp set-up, it should be able to do the damage,” Mike tells NZPC.

The FD has been built almost entirely in-house at TCP, even down to details like the G-FACE Wide body kit type TT, with front and rear 65mm guards which Kawato himself designed. The FD should be completed within a month so Mike can sneak in a test ahead of the first round of the Formula Drift Asia in Japan.