Vaughn Gittin Jr scores surprise win from teammate James Deane in high-speed Final
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday May 9, 2026
Location: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA
Event: Competition Results for Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 2
RESULTS FROM FD PRO ROUND 2
- Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA) – Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
- James Deane (Ireland) – O’Reilly / Pennzoil Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
- Branden Sorensen (USA) – Sorensen Motorsports / Quad Lock BMW
NOTES
- As a semi-retired, two-time Formula DRIFT PRO Champion, Vaughn Gittin Jr has been returning to compete at Road Atlanta every year since 2023. He beat RTR teammate and five-time PRO Champion Deane in tonight’s Final following an uncharacteristic mistake from the Irishman. The win marked Gittin’s first victory in their four competitive meetings: they’re now tied with 31 podiums and 14 wins apiece (although Deane achieved the feat in a shorter time and clearly has no intention of letting up)
- Gittin competed in Formula DRIFT from its 2004 founding and had the opportunity to meet Chris Forsberg (USA) tonight driving the Destined Industries Nissan Z in the Great 8 heats. Another founding member and a three-time Champion, Forsberg lost the battle after they made contact in Zone 4, pushing Gittin’s Mustang to a halt
- The unexpected Round 2 win catapulted Gittin into fifth in the 2026 FD Championship standings as he took points from a number of title contenders, including Deane, Bakchis and Shanahan
- Having been eliminated from the Top 16 heats in Round 1, Deane was keen to claw back some lost ground in Atlanta. His 43-point haul bumped him from ninth to second in the Championship standings, helping to bring his season back on course
- As the number one qualifier, Bakchis looked like a man possessed until he was narrowly defeated by Gittin in the Final 4. Already placed fifth in the title race after Long Beach, by standing on the podium he moved up to third overall
- Fourth place Sorensen lost a very close battle against Deane in the Final 4 heats to narrowly miss the Final. The 21 year-old driving the Sorensen Motorsports / Quad Lock BMW qualified third for Atlanta and moves from sixth to fourth overall
- The winner of Round 1, Conor Shanahan (Ireland), qualified poorly in his Red Bull / GT Radial / JYR Toyota GT86, only managing 24th place. However, he fought back, defeating his brother Jack in the Top 16 – marking the first competitive FD PRO battle between siblings in series history. However, Conor’s luck abandoned him when a clutch issue forced him to withdraw from his Great 8 heat against Bakchis. Fortunately, he remains at the top of the Championship standings and by a slightly increased 15-point margin
- Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – the three-time PRO Champion who was sitting in second place after Round 1 – was knocked out of the Top 32 heats following contact with the Team Hansen Supercharged Nissan S13 of Rudy Hansen (USA) during their initiation into the first turn. Scoring no points, the driver of the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra tumbled from second to ninth
- LZ, who placed fifth in 2025, was similarly eliminated from the Top 32 after he debeaded a tire on the Drift HQ E36 BMW going off-track during his first run against Trenton Beechum (USA) in the Clonex Racing / Katana Wheels / Kenda Tire BMW
- Adding to the misery, Matt Field (USA) – who placed second in 2025 – was hit from behind in his Borla Performance / GT Radial / Heat Wave Visual / Logitech / Liqui Moly Corvette at the end of his first Top 32 run against Ken Gushi (Japan). Field’s team made repairs within the allotted time but a steering rack mount was deemed unsafe. While Field won the heat and took ten points, he was unable to proceed in the competition and sits 14th in the title race
- The leading Rookie was again Cole Richards (USA) driving the Richards Racing Toyota GT86. He finished 11th in Atlanta and eighth overall
- In the 2026 Formula DRIFT Auto Cup, Ford took the lead from Toyota with a 25-point lead. In the FD Tire Cup, GT Radial continue to lead but Nitto jumped to second thanks to the RTR drivers
ROUND 2 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Vaughn Gittin Jr | 50 +1 |
| 2 | James Deane | 40 +3 |
| 3 | Aurimas Bakchis | 30 +4 |
| 4 | Branden Sorensen | 30 +2 |
| 5 | Chris Forsberg | 20 +1 |
| 6 | Dylan Hughes | 20 +1 |
| 7 | Ryan Tuerck | 20 +1 |
| 8 | Conor Shanahan | 20 +1 |
| 9 | Matt Field | 10 +1 |
| 10 | Jack Shanahan | 10 +1 |
| 11 | Cole Richards | 10 +1 |
| 12 | Wataru Masuyama | 10 +1 |
| 13 | Simen Olsen | 10 +1 |
| 14 | Dan Burkett | 10 +1 |
| 15 | Rudy Hansen | 10 +1 |
| 16 | Trenton Beechum | 10 +1 |
2026 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS*
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Conor Shanahan | 72 |
| 2 | James Deane | 57 |
| 3 | Aurimas Bakchis | 55 |
| 4 | Branden Sorensen | 53 |
| 5 | Vaughn Gittin Jr | 51 |
| 6 | Jack Shanahan | 44 |
| 7 | Dylan Hughes | 42 |
| 8 | Cole Richards | 42 |
| 9 | Fredric Aasbo | 42 |
| 10 | Chris Forsberg | 33 |
| 11 | Ryan Tuerck | 32 |
| 12 | Simen Olsen | 22 |
| 13 | Diego Higa | 22 |
| 14 | Matt Field | 12 |
| 15 | Wataru Masuyama | 12 |
| 16 | Dan Burkett | 12 |
2026 AUTO CUP TOP 5 STANDINGS*
| Ford | 119 |
| Toyota | 94 |
| BMW | 46 |
| Nissan | 45 |
| Chevrolet | 13 |
2026 TIRE CUP STANDINGS*
| GT Radial | 148 |
| Nitto | 119 |
| Kenda | 95 |
| Kumho | 56 |
* Preliminary standings. Final results pending official confirmation
