Want to Go Drifting with Vaughn Gittin Jr.?
by Patrick Rall
Want to go drifting with Vaughn Gittin Jr.? Ford can make it happen courtesy of their new Octane Academy program – which will give four groups of aspiring racers a chance to study with Ford drivers Gittin, Brian Deegan, Tanner Foust and Ken Block. These drivers will each host a four day racing program where they will teach you the ropes of their given discipline, including drifting in the Ford Mustang, rally racing in the Ford Fiesta and off-road truck racing in the SVT Raptor.
The Ford name has been involved in motorsports since the Ford Motor Company officially existed, and over the last 30+ years, Ford Motorsports have been a dominant force in both NASCAR and the NHRA. However, with the shift to newer forms of racing like drifting, stage rally, rally cross and off-road truck racing drawing so much attention from the younger motorsports fans, Ford has put together a team of superstar drivers in their respective types of racing. While Ford’s cross-town competition both have thriving programs in the ranks of drag racing and stock cars, Ford is the biggest American-built competition in these new forms of racing – venues which have typically been dominated by European and Japanese automakers.
However, in adding drivers like Ken Block and Tanner Foust in the rally world, Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the drifting world and Brian Deegan in the short course truck racing world – Ford employs some of the biggest name in the world of the new era of motorsports. To bolster Ford’s presence with the fans of these sports, Ford Motor Company is the official sponsor of the X-Games later this year, putting them in front of one of the biggest viewing crowds of the year – both in person and on television around the world.
The Octane Academy is Ford’s newest program to encourage these new forms of racing, and they are using their superstar team of drivers-turned-professors for this high performance learning institution. All you have to do to enroll is make a short video explaining why you are the best candidate for the Octane Academy and if your video is picked, you will join a small group of students who will work for four days with the driver of their choice. After the four intensive days of learning to race from some of the most well known names in the motorsports world, the competitors at each program will go head to head to see who is the best of the students – with the winner taking home a brand new Ford product designed by the Ford racers.
The rundown of the professors for the Ford Octane Academy:
Driver: Ken Block
Car: #43 Ford Fiesta
Hometown: Park City, Utah
Sponsor: Monster Energy Drink
Highlights: Gymkhana Series
Driver: Brian Deegan
Car: Ford Raptor/Ford Fiesta
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Sponsor: Rockstar/Metal Mulisha
Highlights: 12 X Games Medals
Driver: Tanner Foust
Car: #34 Ford Fiesta
Hometown: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Sponsor: Rockstar Energy Drink
Highlights: 5 X Games Medals
Driver: Vaughn Gittin Jr.
Car: Ford Mustang
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Sponsor: Monster/Falken Tire
Highlights: Formula D Champion
For more information on how to get behind the wheel of a drift-ready Ford Mustang with Mustang racer Vaughn Gittin Jr instructing your every move, click here to check out the Octane Academy website!
Or check out the below YouTube video to hear what the instructors have to say: