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GITTIN JR.'S 4TH PODIUM OF SEASON, STILL 1ST OVERALL
Baltimore — During the weekend, Vaughn Gittin Jr. was in sizzling Sin City for Formula Drift Round 5 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Going into the event, Gittin Jr. was first in points overall and his No. 1 goal was to maintain his lead. He not only left the Las Vegas event still leading the points chase for the Formula Drift Championship, but he took the third place spot atop the podium in the second-ever Falken Tire sweep.
It was a scorcher all weekend, but the extreme temperatures were not going to stop Gittin Jr. or his Monster Energy/ Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang from tackling the custom-built, high-speed entry course. After throwing down two impressive runs during Friday qualifying, he ended up snagging the fifth place spot.
Saturday’s main event brought out thousands of fans, eager to check out their favorite drivers and to catch all the up-close drifting action. Gittin Jr. was just as excited to chat with the fans, sign some autographs, slap some high-fives, and pass out some limited-edition Mustang 5.0 hats.
For the top 32 elimination round, Vaughn was paired with Drift Alliance Ace Brian Wilkerson. Gittin Jr. led first, holding a solid line and maintaining angle, while Wilkerson hustled to keep up with the Mustang. When it was Gittin Jr.’s turn to give chase, he stuck to his competitor’s door throughout the course and did not let up once. The judges awarded him the win.
Gittin Jr. was matched with another Drift Alliance teammate, Ryan Tuerck, in his battle during the sweet 16. Gittin Jr. led first and Tuerck tried to follow him in towards the wall, but instead took a much wider line causing him to tap the tire wall. Gittin Jr. gave chase next and mimicked Tuerck’s every move while following close behind. The judges conclusion yielded Gittin Jr. the advantage and the win.
In the great eight, Gittin Jr. was paired with Charles Ng, who earlier took out Rhys Millen in the top 16 round. Gittin Jr. led first with a crazy fast initiation and a ton of angle, while Ng pushed to keep up. Ng managed to catch the Mustang by the last turn, but straightened up in the process. Ng led next only to have Gittin Jr. piling on the pressure throughout the course. Gittin Jr. took the win and moved to the semi-finals.
Gittin Jr. met Falken Tire teammate Daijiro Yoshihara in the final four. The duo had battled previously in the season at both Round 2 in Atlanta and Round 3 in New Jersey. Both times Dai had come out on top, so Gittin Jr. was determined to not let that happen this time. Unfortunately for Gittin Jr., after two great runs by both drivers, Dai was once again awarded the win, while Gittin Jr. moved into the consolation round to battle for the third place spot.
Meeting him in the consolation round was fellow Mustang driver Tony Brakohiapa. After the two runs that Gittin Jr. put down, it was clear that the Monster Energy/ Falken Tire Ford Mustang was just too much for Brakohiapa, and the judges awarded Gittin Jr. the win and the last step atop the podium.
Joining him on the podium for a Team Falken Tire sweep (the second Falken Tire sweep in history; the first being at Round 3 in New Jersey last season) was Tyler McQuarrie in first place and Yoshihara in second place. Gittin Jr. remains in first place overall in the fight for the Championship (439 points), with Yoshihara in second place (417 points) and Tanner Foust in third (386 points). With only two rounds remaining, Gittin Jr. hopes to keep his momentum going strong in order to secure the 2010 Formula Drift Championship.
Up next on the FD nationwide tour, Round 6 at Infineon Raceway, Sept.10-11. Gittin Jr. has previously podiumed twice at this Northern California track, and he will be pushing to do just that again this time around.
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