The Professional Funhaver lived up to his title in The ATL last weekend. He might be only drifting part-time, but after winning Formula DRIFT Round 2 at Road Atlanta, there is no doubt he still has the tire-slaying touch.
At Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the speed is high, the walls come fast, and hesitation usually ends with somebody else standing on the podium. That environment still suits Vaughn Gittin Jr. just fine, as the storied RTR Motorsports driver wheeled his Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD to his first Formula DRIFT victory since 2023.
The win felt bigger than a typical single-round triumph. Gittin isn’t chasing a full-time championship these days, but Atlanta served as a reminder that experience and a powerful pony car still matter in a field increasingly packed with younger drivers.
“This result was absolutely unbelievable. After my first lap, I realized I didn’t know how to drive our new and improved Mustang RTR! But I stayed committed and focused on improving myself,” said Gittin after the podium celebrations. “I showed up with a ton of belief tonight and dreamed of battling James [Deane] in the Final since he’d knocked me out of the Top 32 in the last two years!”
That proved especially true in the final against teammate and reigning five-time champion James Deane. The two Mustang RTR Spec 5-FDs looked evenly matched all night, but while trying to maintain proximity through Zone 3, Deane pushed slightly too hard and dropped off course, opening the door for Gittin to finally score a breakthrough head-to-head win over his teammate.
Dream Team
“It was an unbelievable effort by RTR and Ford Racing. What we have going on together is magical, and we’re honored to be part of America’s Race Team and create magic like this,” Gittin added. “It’s the stuff of dreams, and I’m so grateful for the amazing humans we’ve attracted to RTR to make it happen.”
The result tied Gittin and Deane with 14 Formula DRIFT wins and 31 podium finishes apiece, while also helping push Ford to the top of the 2026 Formula DRIFT Auto Cup standings with 119 points. Deane’s runner-up finish still represented a strong recovery after his early Long Beach exit, while Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis rounded out the podium after qualifying his Subaru BRZ at the top of the field.
“This has been an event for the ages!” Ryan Sage, President of Formula DRIFT, enthused. “It’s always great to see Vaughn return to the Championship for select events each season, and he proved once again why he’s a two-time Champion. His hard-charging driving style remains intact, putting his fellow competitors under tremendous stress — something even five-time Champion James Deane succumbed to!”
Now the series heads to Orlando Speed World in Orlando, Florida, for Round 3 later this month, where the tighter confines and concrete walls will demand a very different approach.
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