Race Service Night School
Before the competition even began, Vaughn Gittin Jr. sat down with Chris Forsberg and Ryan Tuerk at Race Service Night School for a conversation about where it all started — the early days of drifting and the legendary Drift Alliance. It was the kind of raw, authentic storytelling that reminds you why this sport exists in the first place and how we got here today.
The night also gave us our first opportunity to show off something special: the Ford Mustang RTR in Shadow Black, wearing the RTR Appearance Package, making its public debut in that color way for the very first time. A Mustang RTR Spec 3 and a Bronco RTR ROVR were also on display, giving fans an up-close look at nearly the full RTR lineup. The perfect way to set the tone for the week ahead.
Type S Night Lights Formula Drift PreMeet
If Wednesday set the tone, Thursday turned up the volume.
Over 20,000 people packed the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center Parking deck for the Type S Night Lights Formula Drift PreMeet — one of the biggest pre-event gatherings we’ve ever seen. Vaughn, James and Ben all took part in an autograph session with fans, and Vaughn put on drift demos in the Mustang RTR Spec 3 that had the crowd fired up.
Qualifying Is Back!
Qualifying returned to a solo format in 2026, and the RTR drivers wasted no time making their mark.
Ben Hobson came out swinging, holding P1 overall for more than half of the qualifying session with an impressive score of 86.26. Then James Deane stepped up for his second run and dropped an 89 to claim the top qualifying spot overall. Ben ultimately ended the session in P6, a result we're genuinely proud of. Two of our RTR Mustangs in the Top 32 to open the season? We'll take it.
Top 32
James Deane opened his 2026 campaign against Derek Madison, leading first. Madison was forced to call a timeout after running into trouble, and when they lined back up, the mechanical gremlins weren't done — an incomplete run handed James the win and sent him into the Top 16. Not the battle anyone wanted to see end that way.
Ben Hobson faced Federico Sceriffo in his first battle of the season and came out firing. Ben led first and laid down a killer lead run that set the tone. Sceriffo called his five-minute timeout, but when they returned to the line, he straightened shortly after the first outer zone — handing Ben a ticket to the Top 16.
Top 16
James Deane drew Diego Higa in the Top 16 and set out to be as precise as possible in the lead position, putting down a great run for Higa to follow. In the chase, James made a mistake entering the final outside zone, gripping up and nearly straightening the car. Higa took the win, and James' day was done earlier than we had hoped.
Ben Hobson matched up against Odi Bakchis, leading first with an aggressive, clean run. In the chase, Ben slightly over-angled near outer zone 2, losing proximity to Odi. The judges scored in Odi's favor, ending Ben's day in the Top 16.
Taking the Learning and Moving Forward
Long Beach didn't go exactly the way we planned. But that's Formula Drift, and that's what makes it worth chasing. What we do take away from Round 1 is real momentum: a P1 qualifying run from James, a standout qualifying performance from Ben, and two cars pushing into competition on opening day. We always take our learnings from the track and come back stronger with every round we compete in.
We're especially proud of Ben's qualifying result and the way both cars competed in the battles. The foundation is there. Now we build upon it.
Next Stop: Atlanta
Round 2 heads to Atlanta, May 7-9 — and this time, all three Mustang RTR Spec 5-FDs will be on track together. Vaughn. James. Ben. The full RTR arsenal, Ready to Rock.
We are excited to see you all in Atlanta for Round 2!
