Automotive Racers Hall of Fame – Mike Fitz Drifting

What`s your day job?

Head instructor at the Prodrift Academy, Sales and Marketing Manager at Group D, Judge at Irish Amateur Drift Championship.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Probably finishing in the top four in Europe’s biggest ever drift event at IDC vs Drift Allstars in Mondello Park last year. About 50 pro drivers from 14 nations attended, in their own cars. Three of the top four were from Co. Cork in Ireland!.

What would be your dream car/ motorcycle?

Oh God! I guess right now the car would be Ferrari LaFerrari and the bike a 1998 red and white Yamaha R1.

Did you always want to be a racer or something else?

I wanted to be a professional soccer player until I got a whiff of petrol.

Front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or two wheels?

 Rear wheel drive and two wheels.

What motorsport event would you most like to compete in?

Formula Drift final in Irwindale, California or any round of D1GP in Japan. Also the Le Mans 24 Hours, there’s something about endurance racing and the Isle of Man TT.

What is the most insane/scary/memorable drive/ride you’ve ever had?

I guess rubbing walls at 70mph in the Irish Drift Championship or throwing your mortgage sideways inches from another driver at 100mph is always going to stick out. I also used to have a tuned Yamaha RD350 YPVS 2 stroke, which was… interesting! I think at this stage I’ve had too many to remember though haha!

How involved are you in testing and mechanical tweaking before events?

Time allowing, we try to test prior to an event with any mechanical changes we make. Often this happens during practice at event weekend though and we just deal with it there and then.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Irish Drift Champion and wherever the road takes me then. Hopefully somewhere warmer than Ireland.

What is your go to playlist or song before an event to get in the zone?

Could be anything from 90s or modern dance to rock, but generally AC/DC, Guns N’Roses etc.

If you could try any other motorsport which one would you choose?

Road Racing.

What’s the fastest you’ve ever gone in a car or bike on track and when?

Prob hit about 160mph a few years ago on a GSX-R 1000 but I’ve been sideways upwards of 100mph which is probably even more thrilling to me!

What is your daily drive or ride?

BMW E46 320D.

Who is your inspiration?

Valentino Rossi, Joey Dunlop, Phil Lynott, Guy Martin, Masato Kawabata, Fredric Aasbo, plus a few other drifters I know and am friendly with so I won’t let them know that.

What is the one thing you could not live without?

The craic.

What is your favourite takeaway?

Chips and prosciutto pizza.

Do you have a favourite movie?

Step Brothers all the way.

Any bad habits?

Being stereo typically Irish sometimes.

Tell us something about you that most people would not know?

I DJ as well.

Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck?

Isn’t that question supposed to be the other way round? Either way, I’d tame the horse sized ducks with full sliced pans of bread, then hire them out as novelty wedding carriage propulsion. Pretty sure that would pay for my dream drift car build, the LaFerrari, and a small island off the coast of Italy .