In the world of racing, there is no “sure thing.” An entire racing season can come down to a few milliseconds or a single bad decision. At the upper echelons of competition, it isn’t always who performs the best, but who makes the least amount of mistakes. Few competitions are as unforgiving as Formula Drift, as Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Justin Pawlak found out this weekend.

Despite being a heavy favorite to once again take home the Formula Drift crown, Vaughn Gittin Jr. had to settle for second place after some mistakes ended his day early. Fellow Mustang driver Justin Pawlak also came up short, taking 2nd place in the final bout of the 2012 season to event and series champion Daigo Saito after crashing out.

Going into the final race, Gittin, Saito, Rhys Millen, and Pawlak were within a few points of taking home the championship. Given the level of competition between these three top contenders, nothing short of a podium finish would be enough to take home the championship. But Gittin’s day ended way too early when Patrick Mourdant knocked him out in the Round of 16.

That left Justin Pawlak to carry the Mustang torch, and he made it all the way to the final round with Saito. Alas, Pawlak could not blunt Saito’s championship day, not that it would have mattered; the eventual champion still would have beat out Gittin in overall points even if the Japanese-born drifter had come in second place.

Gittin finished out the series with 529 points, despite having led the rankings for most of the season. Saito finished with a grand total of 548.5 points, more than enough to carry the championship. Rhys Millen came in third place with 509.25 points, while Pawlak settled for fourth place with 501 points. Obviously, the Mustang drivers are still very much among the Formula Drift elite…but finishing in second place two years in a row has got to be heartbreaking.

But this is far from the end of Ford’s involvement in Formula Drift. In fact, on Friday before the final showdown had even taken place, Ford Racing announced a major sponsorship with Formula Drift for the 2013 season. This will give Ford preemo advertising, as well as giving fans an up-close look at the new Ford vehicle lineup.

Ford has sponsored Formula Drift since 2005, though it wasn’t until 2010 that Vaughn Gittin Jr. had his championship year. As one of the best-known drifters in the business, Gittin has become a Ford brand ambassador of sorts, as well as an ambassador for the entire sport of drifting.

Ford is hoping to reach a new generation of car enthusiasts with their efforts in promoting Formula Drift, and we’d say it is working. Drifting is only growing in popularity, as is Ford, so it is a partnership that makes sense on many levels. But will the Blue Oval be able to return to the Formula Drift winner’s circle in 2013? We can’t wait to find out.

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