In Friday night qualifying, Deane laid down an impressive first run and earned second position in the bracket for Saturday’s main event on the popular drifting track laid out on the streets of the Southern California city. Ford Mustang teammates Ben Hobson and Vaughn Gittin Jr. both had solid second runs and qualified 16th and 24th respectively.
In the Top 32, Hobson’s first battle earned a One More Time vote, meaning he and his opponent battled for a second time to determine who progressed to the Top 16. Hobson gave it all he could in the One More Time battle but was unable to advance. Gittin Jr. made it to the Top 16 but did not advance further after running into an issue during his round battle.
Fighting for second place in the championship, Deane put on one of his best performances of the year. He advanced to the Top 16 after his opponent had an “unchaseable” lead run. Deane made it to the Great Eight after two strong runs in the Top 16, and after a tight battle, he earned his way into the Final Four. In the Final Four, his opponent wasn’t able to complete the second run, sending Deane to the Final Battle.
In the Final Battle, Deane faced off against Jack Shannan, who was also in contention for second in the championship. This made the stakes even higher, as whoever won the battle would not only win the event but also claim second in the championship. Deane and Shanahan both laid it all on the line, and Deane came out on top to score his second win of the season.
UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st - James Deane
15th - Vaughn Gittin Jr.
22nd - Ben Hobson
James Deane, No. 130 RTR Vehicles Ford Mustang RTR Spec-5 FD – “Wins don’t come easy, especially with the driving level today in Formula Drift. I feel like it’s been an amazing weekend. I’m really happy to get this win, it means a lot. This car, the Ford Racing Mustang RTR did not give us any issues, no matter how hard we drove it.”
Ben Hobson No. 213 RTR Vehicles Ford Mustang RTR Spec-5 FD – “The result is a little frustrating, but we had a heck of a season. I’m stoked about our performance this year. The Ford Racing Mustang RTR, the team, everything was great this year. We’ll get the little things corrected and we’ll be back for round one in Long Beach next year. ”
Vaughn Gittin Jr., No. 25 RTR Vehicles Ford Mustang RTR Spec-5 FD – “I had a blast. Thank you so much to Long Beach and everyone who tuned in. It’s been a battle this weekend to get back to this level of competition. I won at Atlanta, but Formula Drift is tough, and it takes a lot of digging deep to get into the right mindset. I really am proud of how I performed, and I have to shout out to the team, it’s a huge effort to run three cars.”
