Vaughn Gittin Jr Takes 4th in 2006

The event went absolutely amazing. The biggest crowd Irwindale has ever seen. They filled the drag strip with parking and had to turn people away from the event. This was a sign of good things to come for the Formula D final!

JR once again set the bar for fastest speed in practice, which was 78 mph at the speed checkpoint. He was able to qualify 5th overall. His first battle placed him against Rich Rutherford in the RWD Mitsubishi Evolution. JR took care of business with ease, and was able to move on to the top 8.

The top 8 battle put JR against Rhys Millen last years champion. “I have been looking to run Rhys for the last 3 years this was the first time we were ever paired against each other and it turned out to be an amazing battle that turned into controversy.” JR said. 1st round of the battle JR was the chasing driver. Then it all started to get crazy! JR lost his rear right tire exiting the bank but kept his foot on the throttle with only 3 tires and one HRE doing the work to keep the car hooked up. It was absolutely amazing to say the least! The crowd went nuts all while JR was punishing the pavement in his Falken Tire Ford Mustang.

Luckily enough, JR was able to keep the car out of the walls and hold a solid line. The judges scored that bout a 6-4 in Rhys’ favor. When we talked with JR about the tire mishap, this is what he had to say - “I felt the tire go as I was exiting the bank. I was going at least 80 MPH and was all over Rhys’ bumper and I was not going to just give up. So…. I kept running and managed to hold my line and finish the run.”

The crowd went crazy when they saw the sparks and realized JR only had 3 tires as that was the only telltale sign because the run was flawless despite the disadvantage. “I couldn’t believe I was able to hold it! The Falken Azenis are amazing to be able to keep the Mustang hooked up with only 3 tires on the ground. I don’t know what the deal is. I was the third person to lose a tire at the same place over the weekend. It was a good challenge though and I’m glad I was able to pull it off because I wasn’t giving up!” Said Jr.

The 2nd round of the battle JR was the leading driver. He entered much earlier on the bank then Rhys and had a solid, fast, and pretty much perfect run. After a long debate and the Crowd going crazy screaming, “One more time one more time!!!!” The judges once again scored the run 6-4 in Rhys’ advantage and gave him the win. The crowd went silent like they were in awww and it turned into a very controversial decision.

In catching up to JR he said, “I Drove my heart out like always and stepped it up a notch. There was nothing for me to lose. It was the final event of the season and I felt it was all or nothing. The judges made their decision and that is the decision I will accept. I am happy knowing I pulled off what most see as impossible and still lost by only one point to Rhys who is a great driver with the best engineered car in our series.”

JR finished 4th overall in points in the Formula D Championship for 2006.

“I’m not thrilled with finishing 4th overall for the second year in a row, but I am happy with it. I have worked hard and drove to the best of the Mustangs and my abilities all year. I have been very consistent throughout the season. Unfortunately some bad mechanical luck the first couple events gave us a slow start. Team Falken and XMP have worked very hard with me to make this season a success and I really need to thank them as well as Shark Energy Drink, K&N Air Filters, Rockford Fosgate, Exedy Clutch, my Drift Alliance team, and of course all of my fans for there unconditional support. It’s been a great year and I plan to return next year with fire in my eyes and a lot of changes to my program that will make us more competitive then ever! Thank you for a great year…. See you at SEMA!!!”

JR was also awarded the Hardest Charger of the year award for the second year in a row. This award is voted on by the drivers and represents the driver that just constantly goes for it event after event.

“It feels great to win this award knowing that the other drivers see how hard I always drive and respect the fact I give 110% every time I let the clutch out. I’ve always said if the motor and tires aren’t begging me to stop I’m not pushing hard enough.â€? Vaughn Gittin Jr!