Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Drift legend · USA

Vaughn Gittin Jr. mid-drift in the Monster Energy Mustang RTR at Formula Drift Atlanta 2023

Mustang attitude as drift identity.

The figure who made American V8 drift feel native rather than imported, then turned it into the RTR brand language.

VGJ was on the Formula Drift grid in 2005, the year after the series launched at Road Atlanta. He campaigned a Mustang from the start, a deliberately American answer to a paddock that was otherwise wall-to-wall JDM. The combination of V8 sound, wide-body chassis and the most patient driver in the early FD field gave the platform a visible identity.

In 2010 he took the Formula Drift Pro Championship, the first Mustang title in series history. He had founded RTR Vehicles two years before; the FD title sent the brand into a different orbit. The post-2010 era of RTR street packages, Ford Performance partnerships and the driver-led media channel was built on that platform.

He still drives the Monster Energy Mustang RTR at every FD round. The Spec 5-FD programme that James Deane joined for 2022 is engineered alongside VGJ's; the team functions as a two-driver pro garage with VGJ as both team principal and active competitor. American V8 drift identity in 2026 is, more than any other person, his work.

At a glance

  • Role: Mustang evangelist
  • Region: USA

Career highlights

  • 2005: Formula Drift debut. Joins FD year two with a Mustang programme. Anchors American V8 drift identity from inside the paddock.
  • 2008: Founds RTR Vehicles. Launches the RTR street-package brand. Drift programme becomes the engineering and marketing arm.
  • 2010: Formula Drift Pro Championship. First Mustang title in FD history. RTR enters its modern era.

Signature cars

Video

Source: RTR Vehicles