Kiwi drivers Liam Lawson and SVG race lawnmowers in hilarious ‘rural rumble’

What happens when you put an F1 star, a NASCAR convert, and a drifting icon on a farm in Maramarua? Carnage, obviously. 

Kiwi legends Liam Lawson, Shane van Gisbergen, and 'Mad' Mike Whiddett recently got together for Red Bull’s 'Ultimate Off-Road Challenge', where they participated in three “unpredictable challenges”. 

The first challenge was a time trial in Mad Mike’s stadium truck. SVG proved he hasn’t forgotten his roots, absolutely “sending it” to snatch first place from Mike. Lawson was hot on SVG’s heels, but missed the mid-air target during a jump, so he was penalised, knocked down five seconds, and ended up in last. 

Mad Mike was taken aback at SVG’s prowess in the truck, noting “Bro, he cleaned us up”.  

  Things got even pettier during the drift challenge, where they had to drift into six suspended targets.

SVG spun out on his first go, missing all the targets, but the officials (suspiciously) gave him a second lap where he hit 5/6 targets. Lawson and Mad Mike weren't having a bar of it, voting to keep his first score of zero. Mad Mike scored a “better than average” five out of six. 

Lawson, despite claiming he had no idea how to drift, went on to nail all six targets. 

"That was so sick, I’m like f***ing shaking," he said, proving he’s a natural even when he’s sideways. 

 The finale was by far the best yet: a 500cc modified lawnmower race. There is something bloody hilarious about watching three grown men race each other on lawnmowers. 

SVG was absolutely sending it, navigating corners like it was nobody’s business, and Mad Mike was right on his heels. Unfortunately for the Nascar driver, SVG went a little TOO hard, spun out, and almost took out a photographer.

As for Lawson, he just spent most of the race trying to stay on the mower. 

When the dust settled, Mad Mike took the overall trophy, with SVG in second and Lawson taking the wooden spoon in third. 

If you ever wondered if an F1 seat prepares you for a 500cc lawnmower at full noise, now you know: it absolutely does not.