While Linhbergh was in Charlotte shooting the Mustang RTR and RTR-C last week, we stopped by Autosport Dynamics where we were able to check out the shell of my new competition car. The Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang chassis had just arrived from paint. Here is a picture of me getting acquainted with my new car for the first time. Something is so cool to me about seeing a freshly painted bare chassis. Anyone agree? - Vaughn Gittin Jr.

The PRI show held every December in Orlando, Flordia is a must-see for all hardcore builders and drivers. It is the SEMA Show of the Performance Industry. While there are some amazing cars on display, the show is more focused on peformance parts available to build your dream street machine or full-blown race car. I have been attending the PRI show for the last few years to keep up on products available, as well as attend some meetings with sponsors. Not to mention getting out of cold Maryland in...

This past weekend I went to what will be my final event of the year; Drift Nirvana's 100 Drifters of December at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. Going to grassroots drift events is one of my favorite things to do. I try to get out to as many as my schedule allows each year, which recently has not been enough! I was so excited leading up to this event - I couldn't sleep for like two days beforehand. Why you ask? Well I had the opportunity to get back to my roots and have an all-out...

If you are halfway into drifting, then you have heard of Drift Alliance Ace Brian Wilkerson and his infamous Zombie car. The car was given the name after a serious smash into a wall at the 2007 D1GP in Englishtown when Brian let it all hang out in a battle against Imamura. He let it hang a bit too much and got bit by the wall - a wall that showed no mercy and immediately transformed the beautiful Cassius Red S13 into none other then a Zombie. Like most of us drifters, he didn't care that the...

Here is a video that Ken Block sent me this morning of himself and fellow rally driver Chris Atkinson having some fun in Ken's 1978 Ford Escort. Under the hood sits a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder Millington engine that boasts 280 BHP. It also is setup with WRC-styled paddle shifting and a six-speed sequential gearbox. I think this video does an incredible job of capturing the definition of fun!

-Vaughn Gittin JR

Last month I was asked to be part of an exhibition at the Oshkosh EAA Air Venture called "Wings Vs. Wheels". I think the pictures that came out are simply amazing so I had to share them with everyone on here! Carroll Shelby sure enjoyed me beating on his GT500, almost as much as I did! The things that come out of his mouth are hilarious; he is a super cool guy. Upon arriving all I knew was that I would be driving a 2010 Shelby GT500 as fast as it would go down a huge runway with a plane...

This past weekend in Vegas was a painful one full of bad luck... literally. Thursday night during practice I was on fire right off the trailer. The 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang was incredible and I was feeling great. But Friday's practice had other plans for me. On my first run I knew the track was slick as it was like 50 degrees hotter then the prior evening. I entered at about 70% just to get a feel of the course, and unfortunately, the car just wouldn't transition back from the feint entry. I did everything I could to keep it out of the wall but it just grew legs and came right out at me and bit the corner of the Mustang right off. Thanks to the team's dedication and preparation, ASD and Team Falken were able to get the car fixed within 2 hours and get me out to qualifying. Driving the track in my head all day paid off as I nailed my first qualifying run, considering the circumstances, and was in for Saturday.

Saturday we were on fire once again - that course entry was insane and fun. I ran Kenji in top 32 which was fun, and then I was up against JTP in the round of 16. Once again my bad luck in Vegas would put me out of the event as we picked up some debris in the back lot which caused the front right tire to flatten on the entry of second run. I kept it out of the wall but spun while fighting it. Check out the video of my hit from practice - definitely the hardest of my career - after watching this video I feel pretty lucky. The wheel seems to have taken most of the impact which is why I think I got off so easy.

Check out this preview of the drifting in Need for Speed Shift. Aside from my car being in the game, I have been very involved in the game development. I have been working on this behind the scenes with the developers for about a year, it has been so hard to keep my mouth shut. I have over 100 hours in developing and adjusting the drifting physics for this game and I am confident to say it is the most realistic drifting to date and you can actually feel it really good using a controller.

Our challenge was to make it accessible to everyone - from an 8 year old used to playing arcade-type games all the way to a pro driver; we accomplished that goal with the different modes. If you approach the game like your actually driving a car and not like your playing a game, you will get the hang of it real quick.  I have been a SIM gamer for years and I have never enjoyed a game with a controller until now. I am very happy with what we have been able to accomplish and am excited for everyone to be able to feel it when it comes out September 15th.  The graphics are insane and the in-car view is my absolute favorite.  

-Vaughn Gittin JR

It became a historic day for Formula D at the Wall Speedway in New Jersey. Team Falken went home with a one, two, and three finish! Darren McNamara drove the wheels off his Saturn Sky battle after battle to take the win for the day. McNamara beat out Vaughn Gittin Jr., leaving JR second place. Tyler McQuarrie took third after a long and ferce battle with Ken Gushi. We don't know what possessed Darren McNamara, but he drove like a demon. Pressuring all his opponents with some very close door to...

Go JR!

:R

No doubt you've already seen plenty of photos of Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s 2010 Ford Mustang competition drift car, but I thought could add a bit American flavor to our drifting features this month with a closer look at this unique beast. After being teased by videos earlier in the year, I couldn't wait to finally see this car in person during the Formula D Long Beach event earlier this month. The first exposure I got with the car was when JR took it out for practice on Friday morning. While drifting, the car moves more like an AE86 or Silvia than a V8-powered muscle car....