On May 7th, 2016, World Champion drifter and Professional Fun-Haver, Vaughn Gittin Jr, piloted his Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR to first place at the second round of the Formula Drift Championship at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA after knocking out all competitors and qualifying first in a dominating perfect event.
Vaughn had this to say about the victory, “Perfect events don’t come easy in Formula Drift. This new Ford Mustang RTR has inspired me to simply just be me behind the wheel. That fact combined with my team’s hard work and all the support from the Ford Performance team throughout our development over the last year is why we are on this top step. It feels so good to bring home a win for everyone that has worked so hard and supported our goals out here!”
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In Vaughn’s qualifying runs on Friday, he laid the highest respected score each time with first a 91 (out of 100) and then an impressive 94 on his second run. Due to only 31 drivers qualifying, Vaughn’s first place qualifying position earned him a “bye” which automatically placed him in the Top 16 on Saturday.
In the Top 16, Vaughn went head-to-head with Geoff Stoneback and continued with the same momentum from qualifying the previous day. Vaughn’s 900 horsepower Mustang RTR pulled away from Stoneback throughout the battle quickly advancing Vaughn to the Great 8.
In the Great 8, Vaughn went to battle with Tyler McQuarrie. The “Battle of American Muscle” ended with the Ford Mustang RTR on top as Vaughn bested McQuarrie from both the lead and follow positions.
The Final Four put Vaughn up against longtime friend and fellow Drift Alliance member Chris Forsberg. This proved to be the closest battle of the night with both guys leaving it all on the course but in the end, Vaughn’s aggressive driving advanced him to the Final Battle of the evening.
The Final Battle put Vaughn up against yet another previous Formula Drift Champion, Daijiro (Dai) Yoshihara. In the first run, Vaughn put a huge gap between the two as he worked his way though the course leaving Dai with a large deficit. On the follow run, Vaughn stayed aggressive and maintained proximity through the entire course making himself the obvious winner of the round and the event.
This is the first win of the 2016 season for Vaughn Gittin Jr. and also for his all-new 2016 Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR. The victory in Atlanta puts Vaughn into the lead for the Championship and with 6 rounds left, the team is working hard to ensure a Championship-winning year.
“I had so much fun tonight. To share the podium with these two amazing drivers that have been here with me since day one of Formula Drift is just awesome. I am very much looking forward to carrying the momentum into the upcoming round in Orlando Florida,” mentioned Vaughn.
The third round of the series will take place in Orlando, Florida on June 3rd and 4th.