VAUGHN GITTIN JR. ON FUTURE, FUN, AND FOCUS.
Photo courtesy of Larry Chen
Props To One Of The Most PRO-lific Drift Drivers Of All Time!
If you’ve been hanging around the competitive drifting world for awhile, the name Vaughn Gittin, Jr. (aka Jr. or Gittin) should be pretty familiar to you, along with his highly-decorated drifting career.
Not only has Gittin been a fixture in the greater motorsports world for two decades, he was one of the first PRO drivers in the inaugural U.S. Formula Drift circuit when it launched in 2004. He has competed in FD every year since, until the end of the 2021 season, when he announced he’d be stepping away as a driver the following season.
Gittin is a two-time U.S. Formula D champion (2010 and 2020) and was the first non-Japanese winner of a D1GP (D1 Grand Prix) event at the D1 USA vs. Japan All Star Exhibition in his Ford Mustang in 2005. In 2007, he also earned the All Star Duel D1GP event championship.
Gittin won the World Drift Series (WDS) event, which is China’s premiere drift league, in 2011. In addition, he has competed in NASCAR, and is also a competitor in the one-day, off-road annual Ultra4 event. So far, this event has earned him three wins behind the wheel of his custom Ford Bronco #Brocky.
As a self-proclaimed ‘Professional Fun-Haver’, and owner of the RTR Vehicles professional drifting team, Gittin’s radical driving style will be missed in FD going forward, but his professional influence will still be seen through RTR drivers Chelsea DeNofa and Adam LZ, who will carry Gittin’s torch into the 2022 season, and beyond.
We had the privilege of sitting down with Gittin for a few minutes to get a recap of his FD memories in his own words.
You were one of the original FD drivers. What was that like?
In 2004, we really didn’t know what we were doing. For me, literally, Atlanta 2004 was the first time I pulled my handbrake.
We were a group of passionate guys who liked the sport of drifting. We thought we were pretty good just practicing in parking lots, and that’s where we all started, just pushing each other and rapidly evolving our skill level. Everybody was just figuring it out.
At my first event, I drove my open trailer down the road to Atlanta, and it was just me. I had the support of Falken, but that was all.
How did you find your way into pro drifting?
I saw videos and just fell in love with the sport. I started practicing and going to organized events. I fell in love with the culture and said, “I want to do this!” I was a computer nerd in IT then, so I spent all my money on paying bills and working on my car.
Have you always driven a Ford during your FD career, and why is Ford your brand of choice?
In 2004, I drove a Nissan S13 Silvia. Later that year, I saw what was then the 2005 Mustang. I fell in love with what it looked like and thought it would be really cool to bring some American muscle into drifting. When I drove it for the first time, I realized how amazing it was. My sponsor relationship with Ford did not come for a few more years.
How does it feel knowing you won’t be out there competing in FD this year?
I’m excited to step back into my role as the team owner and watch our two drivers chase their dream. I’m definitely going to miss competing, but I’m also excited to have some family time, and get deeper into a few other interests.
Adam LZ is stepping in to drive your Mustang as RTR’s second driver. How did that come to be?
Adam came out and drove with us in 2018 at the NITTO Auto Enthusiasts Day in Cali. He came out for fun and drove one of our cars, then we all hung out and hit it off. I liked Adam then and have watched him progress.
Chelsea and I have been helping him in the background and it’s been fun to watch him flourish and evolve - watching him go from just having fun, to seeing his competitive nature come out with a desire to win a competitive championship.
We believe in him and he believes in us.
Will we still find you at the tracks hanging out with all of us during season events?
I’ll definitely be at a couple rounds this year, but I won’t be going to as many as I want to.
I will be very much in the background with my team, supporting them, and sharing all my experience with Adam - adding what I can.
My goal and expectation is to come back in a few years. I’m taking a break, handling some other stuff (i.e. going to events like GRIDLIFE), and using my competitive energy in off-road and Ultra4 this year.
Formula D is a lot. It’s a big mental and time investment. I’ve been doing it for a really long time, and now, I have other things I want to achieve.
What do you expect to be your #1 focus this year?
I’ve been doing 30-40 events a year and need to take this break. I’m still drifting, but just not competitively.
I have a three-year-old and a new baby on the way in a few weeks. I plan to keep creating content and staying active on my YouTube channel, racing in the Ultra4 competitive series, and having fun drifting in non-competition events with my friends.
Speaking as a recognized drifting motorsport veteran, what future changes would you like to see for the sport?
I’d like to see more immersion and interactiveness for the fans (e.g. in-car, live cameras, ways to change different perspectives in the live stream, etc.) It would also be great if we could make the drifting motorsport easier for the layman to understand.
I’d also love to see more diversity and teams that can have the opportunity to make this their full-time profession.
More diverse venues would also be cool. Things like city streets and other locations that are just a little bit more exciting.
Maybe a double elimination bracket.
Photo courtesy of Larry Chen
As Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Dai Yoshihara said goodbye to professional U.S. drift driving at the end of the FD 2021 season, fans everywhere were tipping their hats in reverence. Both drivers have enriched the drifting world in spades with ultimate driving skills, veteran-level knowledge, and their friendly ways. Speaking for us all, Drift Enthusiast can say emphatically to both drivers, “Your exciting battles on the FD tracks in the United States will surely be missed!”
We want to thank Jr. and his team for their gracious support of this magazine’s inaugural issue and our short tribute to his career. We’ll definitely be watching for more opportunities to showcase the entire RTR Racing crew in future stories and we’re excited to follow Gittin through the next phase of his distinguished motorsports career.
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