JAY, Okla. — This week at Visions Off-Road, Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s worlds collided.
The two-time Formula Drift and 2021 Ultra4 champion pushed his Ford Bronco to the limits during the Ultra4 USA 4400 Unlimited class race on Friday afternoon, and then put on a rubber-burning show in his Ford Mustang during Nitro Circus on Saturday night.
“This is an absolute dream for me,” Gittin Jr. said. “To be here racing, drifting and watching action sports, it couldn’t get any better for me.”
But truthfully, in hindsight, the 4400 Unlimited race could’ve gone better.
On the last lap of the two-hour sprint, just as it seemed like no one could overtake Gittin Jr. and his 40-second time advantage, water damage took its toll on the No. 25 entry. Gittin Jr. had to nurse the Bronco to the finish line, while Paul Wolff threw down the fastest lap of the race on the final circuit and snatched the victory.
“I was literally about to quit on the last mile, so I’m grateful to have gotten third,” Gittin Jr. said. “By no means am I whining about third, but first place, I was there, I was within reach, so it’s hard to let it slip away like that.”
This year, the Maryland native has been committed to turning it up a notch in Ultra4 USA.
With his prosperous history in drifting — where winning is all about finesse and car control — Gittin Jr. admitted he was a bit too “soft” with the car when he began his off-road career six years ago.
Overall, he’s been able to keep up a consistent track record, with plenty of top-five finishes to his credit, but he feels there have been one too many wins that have fallen through his fingertips. Of course, the added intensity he’s been showing has had its downsides.
“At King of the Hammers, I turned it up a little too hard,” Gittin Jr. noted.
The 200-mile desert course proved challenging for the Bronco, with Gittin Jr. finishing 16th. But three months later at Visions, despite water damage, the No. 25 held together for a third-place finish.
“It’s goes so far beyond the driving. You have to be compassionate to your equipment on some level, but when you’re trying to win a race, it’s a balance,” Gittin Jr. said.
In the drifting world, the 42-year-old utilizes a completely different mentality.
“In drifting, you have to be the best you’ve ever been in that moment,” Gittin Jr. described. “There is zero opportunity for mistakes. The mental game of drifting is more important, because you have to perform the best you ever had at the flick of a switch.”
Whereas, in Ultra4 USA, mistakes are a natural result of the racing style.
“You don’t have to be perfect,” Gittin Jr. said. “You can make mistakes, as long as they’re not the wrong mistakes that make you end up on the lid or in a tree or cartwheeling in the dust.”
For that reason, the Maryland native finds himself more relaxed on the starting line of a 4400 Unlimited race, opposed to Formula Drift competition. It’s more about long-term strategy in Ultra4, than an all-out sprint on lap one.
Regardless, his drifting experience has still translated to his work behind the wheel of an Ultra4 vehicle, which has helped make the transition from asphalt to dirt more seamless.
“Everything I’ve done up to this moment has set me up to be competitive in this sport,” Gittin Jr. said. “I don’t think you’re ever a master at this sport. I think it’s a constant progression and a constant learning, which is why I’m so intrigued with it.”