| Born: | September 20, 1980 (age 31) | |
| Hometown: | Joppa, MD | |
| All stats current as of June, 3 2010. | ||
Vaughn Donald Gittin, Jr. (born September 20, 1980), commonly known as JR, is an American self-taught professional drifter from Annapolis, Maryland who currently competes in the Formula D series in his 2011 Falken Tire Ford Racing Mustang. When he's not competing, Vaughn performs drifting demonstrations for Ford in his personal Ford Mustang RTR at events all over the nation. He also performs drifting demonstrations worldwide with his fellow members of Drift Alliance.
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Based on having spent a quarter of his life drifting, one might say Vaughn Gittin, Jr.'s name is synonymous with the popular sport. Indeed, Vaughn has enjoyed a strong relationship with both Falken and Ford, showing the world the capabilities of his powerful Mustang, crushing the throttle to reach maximum power while keeping his car in control on his Falken Azenis RT-615 tires.
In late 2008, Vaughn drifted the streets of downtown Los Angeles for the Bosch performance art promotions, and just recently jetted off to Japan, where he drove a Falken Tire Shod 2010 Mustang across the country, making key stops at world renowned tracks such as Ebisu and the YZ circuit.
The combination of Team Falken, Vaughn and Ford has realized many epic moments including two historic D1 Grand Prix wins. First, at U.S.A vs. Japan and a repeat at D1's World Championship
In addition to his international travels, Vaughn recently treated NHRA drag racing legend John Force to the "drift of his life" (some witnesses went so far as to say "ride of his life") as part of Barrett-Jackson's drifting experience at the auctioneer's recent event in Scottsdale, AZ, and took multiple road racing champion Tommy Kendall on a "test drive" for SpeedTV, both riding in his brand new 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang.
While drifting is just the latest talent Vaughn has developed behind the wheel, he's had the speed sensation for a long time. "Since I was born, I have lived and breathed cars," he declares, asking his namesake to do "fishtails" and "burnouts" the way other dads drive their children around the block to soothe them. "I have always loved the feeling of the back end skating around, engine screaming and tires smoking," he adds, which ultimately led him to choose a career in motorsports. Moving from motocross to drifting paid off quickly, and Vaughn rose to the top of the field. He caught the eye of Falken Tire who in 2004, was eager to expand their drifting efforts and take the U.S. drifting scene by storm. The rest, as one says, is history, and Vaughn has become a key part of Falken's extensive commitment to this exciting sport, both in the U.S. and internationally. His new 2010 Ford Mustang featuring state-of-the-art technology, is set for an exciting 2009 schedule as the centerpoint of Team Falken, ready to meet and once again, conquer the competition.[1]