Meet the Gold Coast’s rising star of professional surfing

MIKEY Wright’s mullet is as exciting as his surfing and his bright green drift car. The tattooed Gold Coaster is this year’s Quiksilver Pro wildcard.

MIKEY Wright’s mullet is as exciting as his surfing and his bright green drift car.

The tattooed new Gold Coaster is this year’s Quiksilver Pro wildcard and said he planned to join his older siblings, Tyler and Owen, on the championship tour.

Mikey Wright at Snapper Rocks. Picture: Jerad Williams

“That’s my main goal — I’m going to use this year to try and qualify for the world tour,” the 19-year-old said.

Besides his “unrefined rock star” style of surfing, he said the haircut he has cultivated for more than two years was a conversation piece.

“The funniest one was having a cop in America go up to me, like out of his way, to go, ‘Oh, your mullet is sick’,” Wright said.

“He was like ‘Mate, you’ve got a sick mullet’.

“I make it different every time I do it,” he said.

Mikey Wright at Snapper Rocks. Photo: Jerad Williams

After extensively travelling to film surf clips, Wright said he moved to Tugun to live with heavy metal-loving and tattooed former tour surfer Matt Hoy and train with former tour surfer Troy Brooks.

“It’s good living with Hoyo and training with Troy Brooks because they were on tour,” he said.

“Going from free surfing to competition has been really tough, but Troy has been making it easier.”

Top 20 Finalists 2016 Nikon Surf Photo of the Year: Mikey Wright teetering on as little rail as possible in an East Coast slab. Photo: Luke Shadbolt

He said his main goal was to use the points earned from his wildcard to get a spot on the world tour.

“I’m pretty excited to surf against the tour guys — show them what I’ve got,” he said.

Originally from Culburra in NSW, Wright said he moved to the Gold Coast for the waves and his drift car which he still can’t legally drive on the road.

Mikey Wright in his heat during the Quiksilver Pro Trials at Snapper Rocks last year. Picture Glenn Hampson

“It’s a Nissan Silvia — I’ve got a big twin turbo on it that kicks out about 475hp.

“I really like cars.

“Now living up here I’ve got a 4WD from Hinterland Toyota, which is sick because I actually can’t drive the Nissan on the road because I am still on my P-plates, so I have to put it on a trailer for now.’’

Flashback to 2013: Professional surfers and siblings Owen, Kirby, Mikey and Tyler Wright.

Wright was the face Weet-bix when he was 16.