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Vaughn Gittin Jr. Talks ‘Sensory Overload’ Of Formula Drift

By Brittany Frederick

Vaughn Gittin Jr. is one of the winningest drivers in Formula Drift. Photo Credit: Larry Chen/Courtesy of Ford Performance
Vaughn Gittin Jr. is one of the winningest drivers in Formula Drift. Photo Credit: Larry Chen/Courtesy of Ford Performance /
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Vaughn Gittin Jr. is one of the winningest drivers in Formula Drift, and spoke to Beyond The Flag about what sets the league apart from other motorsports.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. knows Formula Drift. He’s the 2010 Formula Drift series champion and was named “Ace Driver of the Decade” in 2013. Currently, he’s third in the 2016 Formula D title hunt with just a handful of rounds left to go.

Before this weekend’s Round 7: Showdown at Texas, Beyond The Flag spoke to Vaughn to find out why he loves drifting and how he feels the league has evolved over the years.

“Drifting is a sensory overload for spectators,” enthused the owner-driver of the No. 25 Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR. “Thousand-horsepower engines screaming at 9000 RPM, inches from walls and inches from each other at over 100 miles an hour. It’s literally controlled chaos!

“From a driver’s standpoint it’s the ultimate test of car control,” he added, “harnessing these wild machines and showing your skill, style and personality behind the wheel!”

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How is he plotting to secure his next league title?

“I’m just following our plan,” he told us. “Communicating with my team to get the Mustang dialed exactly how I want it at each track. Staying focused on one round and one battle at a time. Doing everything we can to get clear wins and leave nothing in the judges’ hands.”

Vaughn has competed in Formula Drift since its inaugural season in 2004, in addition to being a three-time World Drift Series champion. How does he feel Formula D has evolved over its dozen years and counting?

“The passion and commitment of the teams and drivers have progressed the sport beyond what I imagined,” he said. “We are literally drifting nine-second drag cars at this point in the sport. The grip and speeds these cars generate are extremely impressive. The competition is now so close [that] just about anyone in the series has a good chance to win.

“The support of iconic brands and companies coming into the sport is also part of the evolution,” he added. “For me personally being connected with so many amazing companies and people is an honor.”

What would he call his most memorable showdowns?

“I have had some epic battles in my career. I have been fortunate enough to battle and defeat the best drivers in the world,” Vaughn said. “Chris Forsberg is without a doubt the most fun and challenging competitor I get to battle. He is a great friend of mine and we have come up through the sport in parallel. Every time we line up, I know it’s going to be epic!”

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His Formula Drift story is unique in that Vaughn is both a driver and a team owner. He launched the Mustang RTR in 2010 and told us about being involved not just in the racing aspect of the sport but also the design side as well.

“When I first got into the Mustang world in 2005 I was a bit disappointed with some of the styling options,” he recalled. “I didn’t feel there was anything that spoke to me or my generation for that matter. RTR was my answer to get some products that spoke to a new generation of Mustang owner.

“RTR is a project of passion for me. I am a creative and a big dreamer so adding some styling and performance components to the amazing Ford Mustang was a lot of fun to dream, design and develop with my amazing team,” Vaughn continued. “I was confident my vision would be embraced and I have been humbled by the success of RTR as it has become a very well supported lifestyle brand inside the Mustang world.

“Without question RTR will continue far into the future as we are just getting started with the plans we have,” he added. “We will be launching our turn key 2017 Ford Mustang RTR’s this November, available in select Ford dealers all over the world!”

So you’ll be able to buy your own RTR, but you probably won’t be able to get it to do this:

Which brings us to one of the perks of his chosen career: being a professional racer, Vaughn has been able to drive some pretty cool cars. What would he say is the most interesting car he’s ever been behind the wheel of?

“The most interesting car was a Lamborghini Countach,” he said. “It was my dream car as a kid and then I drove it and was thoroughly unimpressed! It did not live up to any of my expectations with regards to how it drove. It was like a ‘never meet your heroes’ moment you hear about. It still looks cool after all these years though!”

The Maryland native will be laying down a lot of miles as he heads to Texas this week for Round 7. So if he had to drive to the venue, who would he want to embark upon a multi-state road trip with?

“I would take Ryan Tuerck and Chris Forsberg,” he said. “We are great friends and have traveled the world together, so I know it would be a good time!”

Next: Meet Formula Drift Leauge Leader Chris Forsberg

But there might be some interesting tunes on the radio. “I have very diverse taste in music,” Vaughn revealed. “I jump between punk rock, rock and hip hop. Kid Rock, Motley Crue, AFL and MGK are some of my favorites!”

Round 7 of the 2016 Formula Drift season takes place Sept. 9-10 at Texas Motor Speedway.

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