A Story Book Final: Road Atlanta delivers. Round 2 of the 2026 Formula Drift season will be one that fans talk about for a long time, and RTR Vehicles was right in the middle of it. Vaughn Gittin Jr. took home the win in his season debut, with James Deane finishing second in an all-RTR final that had the entire crowd on its feet. This is what we came for.
Qualifying | Thursday, May 6
Three RTR Mustangs. Three different stories coming out of qualifying.
James Deane did what James Deane does, landing P2 overall with an 82.13 and setting himself up on the opposite side of the bracket from Vaughn. In his first qualifying session of the 2026 season, Vaughn laid down a solid 75.10 to earn P12 and a spot in the main event. Ben Hobson had a tough go of it in qualifying, a few mistakes keeping him out of the main show. What we can say is that his Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD definitely brought the heat during his runs.
Friday, May 7 | An Off Day That Wasn't Quite an Off Day
Formula Drift took a breather on Friday as Gridlife ran full steam ahead at Road Atlanta. Ben and James used the day to recharge, but Vaughn had other plans. Never one to waste a good race track, he took his Mustang GTD out for some high-speed grip driving around Road Atlanta and threw down some drift laps in his Mustang RTR Spec 5-D demo car.
Competition Day | Saturday, May 8
Top 32
James opened his weekend against Cody Buchanan, ticking every box in the lead and giving Buchanan a clean run to follow. In the chase, James stayed locked in and delivered exactly what he needed to, walking away with a unanimous decision from all three judges.
Vaughn's season debut came against Formula Drift rookie Nate Chen. Taking a clean and calculated approach in both the lead and chase, Vaughn controlled the battle from start to finish and earned the win by a two-judge vote. Welcome back, VGJ.
Top 16
Vaughn drew Trenton Beechum in the Top 16, but the battle was cut short when Beechum suffered a tire debead in the last outer zone going against the rumble strips, leaving him unable to complete the second run. Vaughn advanced.
James paired up with Dan Burkett in what turned into a genuine crowd-pleaser. Burkett dropped tires in an outer zone during his lead run, which likely played into the judges' siding with James. Another step forward for the defending champion.
Great 8
The Great 8 brought Vaughn face-to-face with Drift Alliance OG and long-time competitor Chris Forsberg. Vaughn laid down beautiful transitions in the chase and did exactly what he needed to in the lead. Contact from behind by Forsberg during Vaughn's lead run sealed the result. Vaughn advances.
James found himself in an all-O'Reilly Auto Parts battle against Dylan Hughes. Hughes made contact with James in a decel zone, but both cars kept moving and completed the run. Hughes called his five-minute timeout to make repairs, and our team used the same window to button up the front corner on James' car. When they lined back up, James took the chase position and, from there, earned his ticket to the Final 4.
Final Four
Vaughn lined up against another Formula Drift veteran, Odi Bakchis. Starting in the chase, Vaughn maintained excellent proximity throughout. In the lead, the two put down perhaps the cleanest run of the entire night. After some deliberation from the judges, Vaughn earned the win on the strength of his chase adaptation. One step from the top.
James faced 21-year-old Brandon Sorensen with a finals berth on the line. Keeping it clean in both the lead and chase, Deane earned a unanimous decision and punched his ticket to the final. The stage was set.
The Final: Story Book Stuff
Announcer Jared Deanda called it a Story Book Final, and he wasn't wrong.
James Deane came in with a 3-0 record against Vaughn head-to-head. Equal machinery. Equal hunger. The crowd knew exactly what they were watching. James led first and put down a strong run. In the chase, he pushed into the first turn and went off into the grass behind Vaughn, a wild moment that had everyone holding their breath. But James got straight back on track and glued himself right back to Vaughn's door to finish the run.
In the end, the judges sided with Vaughn. His 32nd Formula Drift podium was one of the most memorable wins of his career. For James, a hard-fought second place and plenty of motivation heading into the next round.
James moved into P2 overall in the championship standings, with Vaughn playing the role of disruptor perfectly and earning his place in P5 overall in the standings.
Next Stop: Orlando
Round 3 heads to Orlando on May 29-30, with James Deane and Ben Hobson back in action in their Mustang RTR Spec 5-FDs. We'll be ready.
