Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the RTR Drift Team gain crucial points towards the Formula Drift Championship and give rides to troops at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the RTR Drift Team gain crucial points towards the Formula Drift Championship and give rides to troops at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

BALTIMORE, Md. (July 24, 2013) – Over the weekend, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the RTR Drift Team made their way to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington for Formula Drift Round 5: “Throwdown”. The 2010 Formula D Champion and the Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR supported by ASD Motorsports gained crucial Championship points after qualifying in 4th place and finishing top eight overall.

Evergreen Speedway hosted a sold-out crowd and the RTR Drift team activation area was a prime destination for the fans to pick up some fresh gear, take a picture with the Monster Energy models, get at autograph from Vaughn, charge their phone and use the free Ready to Rock Wi-Fi, and check out the Mustang RTR Spec 2 or Vaughn’s ’69 Mustang RTR-X.

Back on track, Vaughn qualified in 4th place out of over 50 drivers and then fought his way through Chris Jeanneret in the top 32 and Dennis Mertzanis in the top 16, to meet Formula Drift’s 2011 “Rookie of the Year” Aurimas Bakchis in the Great Eight.

Unfortunately during Vaughn’s top 8 battle, a transmission failure would not allow his car to consistently stay in gear, causing more than one mistake and costing him the battle. With his top 8 finish, Vaughn moved up significantly in points, only 21 points behind the first place leader.

“This was our first mechanical failure in years and while I am gutted at the result we were forced to deal with, I am very happy with our performance overall,” says Vaughn Gittin Jr. “I feel my team and I were flawless all weekend and we gained some very significant points towards the overall Championship. I cannot wait to get to Texas and look forward to conquering the challenges that a new course will toss at us!” Next up for Vaughn and the RTR Drift Team on the Formula Drift circuit, they head to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas September 13-14 for Round Six.

The day after Formula Drift Rd. 5, Vaughn and the RTR Drift Team made their way to Joint Base Lewis-McChord to put smiles on a lot of faces by performing drift demos and giving rides to the troops. Vaughn was drifting his Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR and fellow Formula Drift driver and Drift Alliance friend Ryan Tuerck drove a Mustang RTR Spec 2. Monster Energy was hanging out giving out beverages, HPI Racing provided R/C car fun, and Ford was onsite giving away t-shirts. A crowd of over 1000 came out to enjoy the festivities, and the event proved to be quite a success for everyone there.

Coming up this weekend, Vaughn and the RTR Drift Team head to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for another spectacular military Smoke Show. For more information, please visit VaughnGittin.com or Facebook.com/OfficialVaughnGittinJr.

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ABOUT VAUGHN GITTIN JR.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. has become one of drifting's most iconic figures and is known best by his aggressive, foot to the floor, big smoke driving style. 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 the gold once more by winning the D1GP World Championship.

In 2010, Vaughn earned his first Formula Drift Championship, becoming the second-ever Champion with a strictly-drifting background. In 2011, Vaughn competed in China's premier drift series, WDS, and took home the Championship. In 2012, Vaughn was shy just one spot of the Championship, taking second place overall. He has achieved five wins and multiple podiums throughout his Formula Drift career.

ABOUT MUSTANG RTR

Mustang RTR is the vision of World Champion drifter and Mustang mad man, Vaughn Gittin Jr. When creating RTR, his dream was to introduce something new to the Mustang world that appeals not only to younger generations, but also to any traditional muscle car enthusiasts and overall automotive enthusiasts as a whole. The Mustang RTR takes the best of multiple automotive cultures and tastefully meshes them together into a final product that anyone can immediately appreciate and see themselves behind the wheel of – whether they are "slaying" a set of tires, blasting a straight, carving some turns, linking a section on the drift circuit, or simply just cruising along with their better half. Vaughn has successfully made his dream a reality with the Mustang RTR. This new generation brand of Mustang that comes in the form of a dealer-installed package is currently available in select Ford dealerships around the world.