Wow, what a week! I cannot even begin to tell you all how crazy it is that we took first place at Round One of the 2010 Formula Drift season and are now in first place in points for the Championship going into Atlanta. Coming off the reveal of my new competition 2011 Monster Energy/ Falken Tire Ford Mustang and the sweet party we had at the Fantasy Factory last Wednesday to celebrate our new partnership with Monster, you could say this win just puts the icing on the cake.
EXEDY Sponsored - Vaughn Gittin Jr's Ford Mustang & Rhys Millen's Hyundai Genesis
Coming out to the track on Friday, I could not have been any more excited to get into the Mustang and tear up the Streets of Long Beach. Being only the second time that I drove the new car, getting some practice was much needed. Right off the trailer the car felt great; I was able to find my line that put me right up against the walls and the new Mustang chassis paired up with the new Falken RT615-K tires gave me the grip I needed to carry good speed throughout the entire course. I was having so much fun!
Going into qualifying, I just ran the same line that I had practiced all day and was able to put down a score of 84.7 on my second run that put me in third place overall. This paired me up to go with Dennis Mertzanis the following day in the top 32 round.
Saturday was a sold-out event and you could definitely tell by the amount of fans that filled the stands and walked the pits. The vibe at this event every year is electric. It seemed like there was always a crowd surrounding the Mustang. The response to the Monster Energy/Falken Tire Ford Mustang has been huge.
I was all set to go up against Dennis in the top 32. I put down a solid leading run – mimicking the same line, speed, and angle as I had all weekend – and put the pressure hard on him when following. I got the win and would be moving on to face a fellow Mustang driver, Tony Brakohiapa, in the top sixteen.
Moving on the top 16, I led first and ran my qualifying run; unfortunately, while trying to follow my line coming into turn 9, Tony backed it into the wall just out of the first turn. When following, I ran on him pretty hard. He drove great; however, I was able to stay on his door pretty tight throughout the course. I was awarded the win and moved on.
It was in the Great Eight that I met my Drift Alliance bro, Ryan Tuerck, for a battle. Our runs were close and probably would have gone to a one-more-time, except that Tuerck straightened up after tapping the wall at the first outer zone. Tuerck is such a good driver and a great friend; I really enjoy running with him as there are no games – just go out and drive the best you can. I was so happy to be moving into the Final Four!
EXEDY Presents checks to the winners Vaughn Gittin Jr & Rhys Millen
I was matched with Fredric Aasbo, who had been killing it all day and really impressed me. I knew it was going to be a tough battle, so I just went as hard as I could! I was able to pull away from him after the first clip when leading, then stuck to him when following. I was awarded the win and was moving on to the finals!
My opponent was Rhys Millen, who funny enough, is the only FD driver that I have never beat in my career. I gave chase in the first run, following Rhys’ line. He was a bit shallow and slower then I had expected coming into the first turn, which made it very hard for me to properly transition. But I stuck to him tight the rest of the way through the course, until he went wide going around the hairpin. I gave his car a little kiss and actually passed him. When it was time for me to lead, I knew I had to do something drastic to seal the win. I took a big chance and went as fast as possible and threw the car in as hard as I could on the widest line. I was able to stick it, but Rhys was not – he backed it into the tire wall.
When I learned I had officially won, I jumped out of my car to see the crowd going nuts with cheer, and I ran up to the fence in front of the grandstands and climbed it… until it started getting sketchy and falling over on me!
What an amazing week it has been. First with the announcement of my new partnership with Monster Energy, then reveal of our new competition car at an awesome party at the Fantasy Factory, and now winning Round One. Everything has fallen into place after months of hard work, and with the season starting on such a good note, I can’t wait until Atlanta. Thank you all for the support; you are an integral part to my success and I sincerely appreciate it!
