VOTE FOR VAUGHN GITTIN JR. IN THE FORD RACING TOURNAMENT OF OVALS

BALTIMORE, Md. (December 28, 2011) – Vaughn Gittin Jr. and DRIFTING both need your help to dominate in the Ford Racing Tournament of Ovals. Vaughn is in the final round against NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth. This Formula Drift Champion has already defeated some of Ford Racing’s finest drivers, such as Brian Deegan, Tanner Foust, and John Force. To vote, go to the Ford Racing Facebook, “Like” the page, and then click on the “Tournament of Ovals” tab on the left to cast your vote. A vote for Vaughn is a vote for Drifting; so let’s make it happen! Voting ends December 31 at 11:59pm EST and the winner will be announced New Years Day.

Vaughn’s 2011 season was jam-packed with awesomeness. From winning a Championship in China, to pushing the Need for Speed RTR-X to it’s limits, to creating the incredible Bosch Iridium Edition Mustang RTR for one lucky winner, to forming thousands of new drift fans in the Middle East, to teaming up with HPI to make a new RC car, to making dreams come true by giving fans ride-alongs at events such as Monster Cup Supercross and Barrett Jackson, to competing in America’s premiere drift series, Formula D – this past year has been superb, and Vaughn plans to supersede it in 2012. Watch the VIDEO of Vaughn’s 2011 highlights.

In 2011, Vaughn Gittin Jr. was crowned the World Drift Series Champion. World Drift Series (WDS) is China’s premiere drifting series. "Competing in China's WDS series this year has been a great experience,” says Vaughn Gittin Jr.

"I am very impressed with the production of the events and a lot of the drivers’ talent. All the challenges we faced as a team, including battling jet lag after 20 hours of flying, the language barrier, limited tools and supplies, and running a car that is very much out of date compared to what we are used to running, really has shown what the ASD crew and I are made of. Not to mention what we are able to accomplish together with very limited resources and a lot of passion. Bringing home the 2011 WDS Championship to America in a Ford Mustang is something we are all very proud of, especially considering all of the challenges we had to overcome. I look forward to traveling back to China and defending the Championship in 2012!” Watch the videos of both ROUND ONE and ROUND TWO of WDS in China.

The Need for Speed RTR-X was first revealed at SEMA 2010, but it was in 2011 where Vaughn really got to have some fun with the beast and push it to it’s limits. Here is a VIDEO of not only the RTR-X in detail and in action courtesy of Hot Rod Magazine, but also the first-ever Mustang RTR, as well as Vaughn’s Monster Energy Falken Tire Ford Mustang that he uses in his nationwide demos. The RTR-X was also featured in many popular magazines in 2011, including the latest edition of Hot Rod Magazine. Click HERE for a preview.

In 2011, Ford invited Vaughn out to Saudi Arabia to perform demos at Action Ha. "Earlier this year, I had the pleasure to visit Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a guest of Ford Middle East to perform in a demo as part of the Action Ha race weekend at of Al Reem Circuit,” says Vaughn. “I didn't know exactly what to expect heading to the Middle East, but I'm always down for new experiences and adventures. Once I arrived I was completely blown away by the love of motorsports, and even more specifically, the love for drifting by the locals. Everyone I met, from Princes, to other professional drivers, to swarms of fans, treated me with amazing hospitality and kindness. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget and I look forward to coming back to the K.S.A!” Check out the video "DRIFTING IN THE K.S.A", where Vaughn Gittin Jr and his Monster Energy Falken Tire Ford Mustang use the Al Reem Circuit in Saudi Arabia as their personal playground.

Vaughn and HPI Racing teamed up to create a 1/10 scale Monster Energy Falken Tire Ford Mustang RTR E10 RC car, which was all the rave in 2011. Watch this VIDEO of Autoweek having some fun with their new toy at their offices.

Pumping up the crowd at events such as Barrett Jackson and Monster Energy, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his Monster Energy Falken Tire Ford Mustang were in full-force in 2011. Lucky fans got the experience of a lifetime with ride-alongs and meet-and-greats with the Formula Drift Champion himself. Watch this VIDEO from Monster Cup Supercross to see what we mean!

In 2011 it was announced that Vaughn would star in Fuel TV’s new television series “Octane Acedmy”. “I am really pumped on the entire octane academy program that Ford has given me the opportunity to be involved in,” says 2010 Formula Drift Champion, Vaughn Gittin Jr. “This will be a dream come true and the opportunity of a lifetime for over 30 action motorsports fans. The fact that it will be aired on my favorite TV station – Fuel TV – is awesome. There will be plenty of insanity going on at each camp that people won’t want to miss and FUEL TV is the perfect outlet. I am looking forward to assembling my team, having some fun and seeing who has what it takes to make the cut!” The Octane Academy series, FUEL TV's first-ever motorsports show, will follow driving contestants of Octane Academy as they tackle the grueling challenges of the four action sports camps. This 13-episode series will feature three episodes for each of the camps and will begin airing in early 2012 on FUEL TV.

"2011 has been a great year,” says Vaughn Gittin Jr. “Despite not getting the results we wanted in Formula Drift we did some epic things. 2012 is right around the corner and we have some sick initiatives to announce very soon, one of them being a new look for the Monster Energy Falken Tire Ford Mustang!  We have our eyes on the prize and are very thankful for your support!"

For more information about Vaughn Gittin Jr., please visit VaughnGittin.com and Facebook.com/OfficialVaughnGittinJr.

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ABOUT VAUGHN GITTIN JR.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. has become one of drifting’s most iconic figures and his machine, the Monster Energy Falken Tire Ford Racing Mustang, one of the sport's most identifiable cars. Vaughn is known best by his aggressive, foot to the floor, big smoke driving style. In 2010, Vaughn earned his first Formula Drift Championship after podiuming an incredible 6 out of 7 events, becoming the second-ever Champion with a strictly-drifting background. Overall, he has achieved three wins and multiple podiums throughout his Formula Drift career. Being such a fierce competitor, Vaughn is known as the only American to win a D1 Grand Prix event, not once - but twice. In 2005 Vaughn stunned the world when he won the D1GP USA vs. Japan. In 2007, he brought America home the gold once more by winning the D1GP World Championship.