While the whole world is waiting for this year’s “Race to the Clouds” to begin at Pikes Peak, on the other side of the planet in New Zeleand Mike Whiddett, better known as Mad Mike, has planned a solitary action with his Mazda RX-7 drift car. His goal is to conquer the Crown Range; the country’s highest paved roadway.

The path consists of 47 corners, 1076 metres elevation, 10.4km long. Ripping through them sideways is a tall order, even for a mad man like Mike. But he’s got a 750 horsepower monster at his disposal, and a pair of stones made, by the looks of things, from weapons-grade steel.

That combination results in an spectacular show:

“I think drifters have an innate ability to slip from reality when driving up a road like the Crown Range in normal circumstances. We imagine drifting through the turns, the gear changes, the footwork, the hand brake and of course stomping on the gas. So for me, having the opportunity to get behind the wheel of my machine, push it to the limit and conquer the Crown is a dream turned into a reality,”says Whiddett.