In 2010 self-taught drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. won the Formula Drift championship in a Ford Mustang, forever earning himself a place in the Blue Oval’s performance archives. While his drifting career has had its ups and downs since his 2010 victory, Gittin hasn’t been shy about branching out beyond drifting, though his latest effort is quite the departure from his drifting roots.
Via his Facebook page, Vaughn Gittin Jr. announced that he will be taking to Road America to take part in the Go Trans Am Racing – America’s Road Racing Series. Competing in the TA2 class, Gittin will not be piloting his standard Formula Drift Mustang, but rather one prepared by Loshak Racing specifically for the Trans Am Series.
The TA2 class that Gittin’s competing in is populated solely by teams fielding other Ford Mustangs, as well as Chevy Camaros and Dodge Challengers. But while Gittin is an experienced drifter, he will be competing against veteran, established road racing teams in an extremely competitive field. In other words, don’t expect him to take the money and run, as it were, though Gittin does have racing experience outside of drifting.
Last year Gittin finished 14th in his first (and to date, only) NASCAR race last year, and for fun he regularly races off-road on his home estate. Whether this is another one-off event in his storied racing career, or the beginning of a new journey to an eventual championship, we just don’t know. But it’s always great to see an iconic figure from the Ford Performance family stretching his wings and accepting new challenges. May the Ford be with you.