VAUGHN GITTIN JR. TAKES SECOND AT FORMULA DRIFT ROUND THREE
Vaughn Gittin Jr. rolled into Wall Stadium for Round Three of Formula Drift with two goals – to put on a great show for all of the East Coast fans and to finish the day standing atop the coveted podium. After an amazing day of drifting Saturday, he managed to achieve both of those goals, plus take part in Formula Drift history.
Vaughn started off weekend with a little throttle – Throttle Thursday that is! Thursday’s practice was combined with driver ride-alongs for the DC Shoes BMX team, as well as other local BMX pros. Vaughn had the pleasure of taking X Games gold medalists Chad Kagy and Scotty Cranmer for the ride of their lives in his Falken Tire Ford Racing Mustang. Later in the evening, the roles reversed and Vaughn along with other Formula Drift drivers were able to watch the BMX stars live it up in their own environment at the Incline Club in Lakewood, New Jersey. Vaughn even hopped on a bike himself – and jumped it into the foam pit!
After Thursday’s fun, Friday was the day for Vaughn and his team to get down to business. However, Mother Nature didn’t comply with the day’s agenda and the heavy rain forced Formula Drift officials to cancel practice and qualifying due to unsafe track conditions. Qualifying would be moved to early in the A.M. Saturday.
Vaughn’s first qualifying run was insane; he was high on the bank with incredible angle and spewed smoke through the entire course. He sat in first place after his run and set the bar for the other competitors. After the smoke had settled, Vaughn found himself sitting pretty in sixth place.
Vaughn was set to battle Tommy Suell in the top 32. Vaughn gave chase first and ran through the track with the same consistent line, angle, speed, and smoke he had been dropping all weekend, putting the pressure on Tommy. The intense power of Vaughn’s Falken Tire Ford Racing Mustang was no match for Tommy, and Vaughn advanced quickly to the top sixteen.
In the Sweet Sixteen, Vaughn was matched up with his Drift Alliance brother, Joon Maeng, whom he defeated earlier in the season at Round One. Vaughn led first and ran a spectacular run, while Joon tried to stay as close as possible to the Mustang. When Vaughn gave chase, he stuck to Joon’s car like a magnet and produced more smoke and angle. The judges had no other choice but to award Vaughn the win.
Vaughn moved on to the top eight and was set to face Robbie Nishida. Vaughn led first and stayed high on the bank, while Robbie ran a shallower line. Robbie’s car had some mechanical issues which would not allow him to run in the next pass. Vaughn was moving on to the Final Four!
In the semi-finals, Vaughn was up against his Falken Tire teammate, Tyler McQuarrie, who had been on fire all weekend. Vaughn gave chase first, keeping close to Tyler’s 350Z and mimicking his every move. In the next pass, Vaughn led with incredible speed, smoke, and angle, while Tyler pushed to stay tight on the Mustang, causing him to correct. The judges awarded Vaughn the win and he moved on to face another Falken Tire teammate, Darren McNamara, in the Finals!
In the first run of the Finals, Darren led while both he and Vaughn threw down amazing smoke and angle, forcing the crowd on their feet in excitement. Vaughn led next and stuck his back bumper on the wall of the bank, performing his last perfect run of the day. Darren managed to glue himself to the Mustang, however, and the judges awarded Darren the win.
Not only was Vaughn extremely excited to sweep second place on his home coast with tons of family, friends, and fans in attendance, but he would be standing on top of the podium (VIDEO) with two of his Falken Tire teammates! A first-time for any tire company in the history of Formula Drift! Amazingly, this was also the first 2010 Ford Mustang in history to finish on the podium in any motorsport!
“What an incredible event! The 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang is amazing and I cannot wait to get it dialed in further,” says Vaughn. “The Falken Tire sweep at Round Three is a testament to the dedication and passion behind our team and I am very proud to be a part of it.”
With his second place finish at Round Three, Vaughn has moved up to fifth place overall in the 2009 Formula Drift points chase. He hopes to move up the ranks even more with another podium finish at Formula Drift Round Four at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For more details, check out VaughnGittin.com.