Vaughn Gittin Jr. (born September 20, 1980), commonly known as JR, is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, self-taught, professional drifter from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

who competes in

Formula Drift Formula Drift (also known as Formula D) is a United States-based motorsport drifting series. Formula Drift, Inc. was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, the same partnership that int ...

in a Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D sponsored by

Monster Energy Monster Energy is an energy drink that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. As of March 2019, Monster Energy had a 35% share of the energy drink market, the second highest share after Red Bull ...

Nitto Tire , commonly known as Toyo Tires, is a tire and rubber products company based in Itami, Japan. History The company started in 1945. In 1966, the company expanded to the United States as ''Toyo Tire USA Corporation''. In 1999, ''Nitto Tire North ...

, and Ford Performance. One of drifting's most iconic figures, Gittin won the Formula Drift Championship in 2010 and 2020, and competes alongside teammate Chelsea DeNofa. Additionally, Gittin competes in the Ultra4 Racing series in his 4400 Class Ford Bronco and is the creator of RTR Vehicles, which is his vision for the Mustang, F-150, Ranger and other one of a kind Fords.

Motorsports career

Formula Drift

He took an extended break from formula drift following the 2021 season, moving into an owner role, and bringing on Adam LZ as a new driver.

NASCAR

On August 4, 2014, Gittin announced he would make his

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series The NASCAR Pinty's Series (french: Série NASCAR Pinty's), commonly abbreviated as NPS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada, and is a continuation of the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981. History In September 2006 NASC ...

debut at

Circuit Trois-Rivières The Circuit Trois-Rivières is a street circuit in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. The circuit has been the home of the annual Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, the longest-running street race in North America, since 1967. The circuit is located o ...

in the No. 9 for Micks Motorsports. Qualifying 32nd and the only

in the field, Gittin spun in turn six on lap 7, but finished on the lead lap in 14th.

Other appearances

Gittin appears in the racing game '' Shift 2: Unleashed'', as he is guiding the player through his career and teaching the player how to drift. He is also one of the rivals the player have to beat in two career modes, Drift and Muscle. If they beat him in the two story modes, they could earn his

Falken Tire

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...

in drift mode and his RTR-X in muscle mode. In the game, the most important thing that Gittin wants is that the player reaches the

FIA GT1 Championship The FIA GT1 World Championship was a world championship sports car racing series, developed by the SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), that was held from 2010 to 2012. It featured multiple grand tou ...

. He also appeared alongside his Formula Drift teammate Chelsea DeNofa in Driving Line's Hangtime video.

Motorsports career results

Formula D achievements

2021

* 3rd-place at Formula D Rd. 1, Road Atlanta, GA * 3rd-place at Formula D Rd. 7, Streets Of Long Beach, CA * 3rd-place at Formula D Rd. 8, Irwindale Speedway, CA

2020

* Formula Drift Champion * 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 3, Evergreen Speedway, WA * 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 4, Evergreen Speedway, WA * 3rd-place at Formula D Rd. 5, Texas Motor Speedway, TX * 2nd-place at Formula D Rd. 6, Texas Motor Speedway, TX

2018

* 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 8, Irwindale Speedway, CA

2016

* 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 2, Midway Raceway Road Atlanta, GA * 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 4, Wall Stadium Speedway, NJ

2014

* 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 2, Midway Raceway Road Atlanta, GA * 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 3, Homestead-Miami Speedway, FL

2013

* 2nd-place at Formula D Rd. 1, Streets of Long Beach, CA * 3rd-place at Formula D Rd. 3, Palm Beach International Raceway, FL

2012

* 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 4, Wall Stadium Speedway, NJ * 1st-place winner at Formula D Rd. 5, Evergreen Speedway, WA

2011

* 2nd-place at Formula Drift Rd. 3, Palm Beach International Raceway, FL * World Drift Series Champion, Tianjin, China

2010

* 1st-place winner at Formula Drift Rd. 1, Streets of Long Beach, CA * 2nd-place at Formula Drift Rd. 2, Midway Raceway Road Atlanta, GA * 2nd-place at Formula Drift Rd. 3, Wall Stadium Speedway, NJ * 1st-place winner at Formula Drift Rd. 6, Las Vegas, NV * 2nd-place at Formula Drift Rd. 7, Irwindale Speedway, CA * Placed a podium finish in 6 of 7 events * 2010 Formula D Champion

2009

* 2nd-place at Formula Drift Rd. 3, Wall Stadium Speedway, NJ

2008

* 1st-place winner at Formula Drift Rd. 7, Irwindale Speedway, CA

2007

* 1st-place winner at D1 Grand Prix USA All-Star World Championship, Irwindale Speedway, CA * 2nd-place at Formula D Rd. 5, Infineon Raceway, CA * 2nd-place at Formula D Rd. 4, Evergreen Speedway, WA

2005

* 1st-place winner in the D1 Grand Prix America vs. Japan Competition * 3rd-place at Formula D Rd. 4, Infineon Raceway, CA * Finished 4th place overall in the Formula D series

Ultra4 Racing

2021

* 1st-place at Ultra4 Nationals (4400 Unlimited Class)

2020

* 3rd-place at Ultra4 Nationals

2018

* Ultra4 East Coast Champion

International

* 2005 D1GP Winner * 2007 World Championship of Drifting * 2011, 2012 and 2013 World Drift Series Champion * 2014 King of Europe - Spain Winner

NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Canadian Tire Series

Partners

* Ford Performance * Pennzoil * K&N Filters * BC Racing * GearWrench Tools * Mahle * MBRP Exhaust *

Forza ''Forza'' ( , ; Italian for "force" and "strength") is a series of simulation racing games for Xbox consoles, Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android devices published by Xbox Game Studios. The series seeks to emulate the performance and hand ...

* RTR Vehicles *

Alpinestars Alpinestars is a manufacturer of clothing and protective gear for motorsports and action sports founded in 1963, and located in Asolo, Italy. Its lines include specialized products for MotoGP, motocross, motorcycling, Formula One, WEC, V8 Sup ...

* Center Line Wheels * TYPE S Auto * NGK Spark Plugs *

VP Racing Fuels A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

References

External links

*
Formula D profile
*
Wrecked Magazine - Drifting Publication's Section for Vaughn Gittin Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gittin, Vaughn Jr. 1980 births Living people Drifting drivers D1 Grand Prix drivers Formula D drivers Trans-Am Series drivers Sportspeople from Annapolis, Maryland Racing drivers from Maryland People from Joppatowne, Maryland