After his breakthrough win in Japan, luck has abandoned 'Mad Mike' Whiddett's Formula Drift Pro campaign.
The latest chapter of woe came in the form of technical dramas for his ND Mazda MX-5 early in the weekend at round four of the championship in New Jersey.
It looked like Whiddett had a lifeline to compete, after rival Chris Forsberg offered to lend the Kiwi his freshly built Nissan 370Z, but Formula Drift regulations that prevent drivers from competing in cars that differ from what they use in practice meant that Whiddett had to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the weekend.