Video: Vaughn Gittin Jr. Takes Home World Drift Series Championship

2010 was the year of the Mustang in the Formula Drift Series  as Vaughn Gittin Jr. took his 5.0 Mustang GT to the top of the pile, claiming the Formula Drift championship. But 2011 got off to a rough start for Gittin, who began the series with a DNF after a nasty crash, all but ending his hopes for a repeat right out of the gate.But Formula Drift isn’t the only drifting championship around, and Vaughn Gittin Jr. has been busy racing in the World Drift Series as well. As the season finale of the WDS, Gittin finished in 3rd place…ensuring his place as champion.The World Drift Series is China’s own version of Formula Drift, and an increasingly important market for American automakers. It also represents unique challenges to racers, who have to battle jet lag, a langauge barrier, and limited tools and supplies to maintain these massively expensive race cars.

As it happens, in the final race at Hangzhou, Vaughn Gittin Jr. would be involved in not one, but two accidents. The first took place in the top eight, when his competitor braked hard and lost control, causing Gittin to run into him. The Autosports Dynamic team replaced everything but a bent tie rod, which sent Gittin into the wall on a chicane. Gittin had to sacrifice his chance at the top spot, but the team got the Mustang back up and running for a shot at third place, which Gittin secured. The 3rd place finish was enough to put him into the top spot for the WDS championship.

Which leads us to ask…is China the next frontier in drifting?