Top Drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. Visits K&N Headquarters

Top drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. stopped at K&N Engineering, Inc. in Riverside, California one day after his EZ Lube Team Drift Challenge at Long Beach.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. at K&N Engineering Headquarters
Vaughn Gittin Jr. at K&N Engineering Headquarters
The K&N sponsored racer and his Team Drift Alliance finished 4th overall. “We only had two cars and each scored an eight out of ten,” said Gittin. “We beat two teams that had three or more drivers.”

The teams were judged on speed, angles and crowd reaction. Judges were also looking at each team’s choreography and ability to work together.

Gittin has done demos and events all over the world with Team Drift Alliance. “It’s amazing because as teams we don’t compete against each other in this race, we drive in sync,” he said. “Think of the Blue Angels in the air and how they work together, it’s almost the same for us. Drifting is about going fast, sliding and having smoke streaming out of the back of the car.”

Chris Forsberg and Ryan Tuerck were on Gittin’s team. “I’m very comfortable with them,” said Gittin. “We’ve done some really crazy stuff together on the track. There are always mistakes and if you don’t’ know who you’re driving with enough to read them, there will be problems. It felt good to run with the guys.”

Gittin has put his heart and soul into this sport. He also used K&N products long before starting his professional career. “I read all the flow charts and realized K&N was the best for me because of the abuse I put my cars through,” he said. “When I’m in a cloud of smoke on the track, it’s not just smoke. That cloud is filled with rubber parts and without K&N Air Filters my $40,000 motors would be damaged. K&N Oil Filters also keeps metal debris out of my engines.”

Gittin will spend a few days in the California sun before he heads back to Virginia. “I love Long Beach,” he said. “It’s like no other event. The crowds are great and it’s definitely a thumbs-up situation all the way.”

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