It may be hard to believe, but it’s been nearly six years since Vaughn Gittin Jr. won his last Formula Drift championship. The face of the Ford Mustang in the drifting scene, Gittin has fought long and hard to climb back through the ranks of Formula Drift, but he’s come up short for the past five seasons. His 2015 luck was so bad that Gittin couldn’t even finish out the season, missing his first Formula Drift race in more than a decade of racing.

The 2016 Formula Drift racing season is a fresh start for Gittin, who has a new Mustang RTR drift car with a new engine, and perhaps some new tricks as well. Gittin managed to take the checkered flag at Road Atlanta, the second race of the Formula Drift season, giving him a solid lead in the overall standings. At least for now.

Road Atlanta was the first course to host a Formula Drift event 13 long years ago, and it’s a driver favorite thanks to its layout and fanbase. Gittin, who fell out in the third round of the first race in Long Beach, cruised through the first three rounds at Road Atlanta before coming face-to-face with 2011 champion Daijiro Yoshihara and his Subaru BRZ.

The Mustang driver managed to sweep aside Daijiro as well though, completing a perfect weekend and putting him more than 30 points ahead of his closest competition. There’s still six more events between Gittin and another championship, however, including the next competition at Orlando Speedworld. One victory won’t be enough to secure Gittin’s stranglehold in the championship, but he’s already off to a much better start than seasons past.