Vaughn Gittin Jr. returned to Road Atlanta over the weekend for Formula Drift Round 2: Road to the Championship. Every year the crowd in Atlanta is wild and full of die-hard drifting fans; this year proved no different. Whether he was doing battle on the track, or signing autographs in the pits alongside his Monster Energy/ Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang, Vaughn received an overwhelming amount of support from the Atlanta fans. After some extremely tough battles with a few of the best competitors in the sport, Vaughn finished the weekend off in 2nd place, his second consecutive podium of the season.

After defeating Michihiro Takatori in the top 32, then Drift Alliance brother Joon Maeng in the top 16, Vaughn found himself paired with friend and another Drift Alliance bro, Ryan Tuerck, in the top eight. He had battled Tuerck in the top 8 in Long Beach a month earlier and beat him, but Tuerck was known to do well at Road Atlanta, so Vaughn knew it would be a tough battle.

Tuerck led first, and Vaughn stayed glued to his door throughout the course. When it was Vaughn’s turn to lead, the power of his Ford Racing Supercharged 5.0 V8 allowed him to create a large gap after the horseshoe that Tuerck just couldn’t close. Vaughn was awarded the win and moved on to the semi-finals!

In the final four, Vaughn was up against Michael Essa, a newcomer to the top 16 who had been on fire all weekend. During the first set of runs, Vaughn ending up spinning when leading right before the finish line from his intense angle, and Essa spun when leading going into the first turn. So a one-more-time was called.

During the OMT, Vaughn hit all the clips when leading, with insane angle and speed throughout the course. When following, Vaughn put the pressure on Essa, as his Monster Energy/Falken Tire Ford Mustang was like a magnet to his competitor. The judges awarded Vaughn the win and a guaranteed spot atop the podium!

Vaughn was set to battle Falken Tire teammate Daijiro Yoshihara for 1st place. Dai had been putting down amazing runs all weekend, so Vaughn knew this would be a challenge. Both drivers put down great runs while they fought hard for the number one podium position. But after the Falken Tire smoke settled, Dai was awarded the win of the battle and Vaughn was awarded 2nd place at Round Two!

As the only competitor thus far this season to have two podiums – taking 1st place in Long Beach and now taking 2nd place in Atlanta – Vaughn remains in 1st place overall with a large points lead in the fight for the 2010 Formula Drift Championship.

The Formula Drift action continues on June 4-5, 2010 for Round 3: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway in New Jersey. Vaughn took 2nd place at this round last year as part of the first-ever Team Falken Tire podium sweep. He hopes that with another podium next month, he can keep his huge lead in the points going as he chases down the Championship.

Source: Vaughn Gittin Jr.