Vaughn Gittin Jr. Retires, RTR Mustang Gets Surprise New Driver for FD 2022

And the moment that Vaughn announced his decision, there was one question on everyone's mind. Who was going to replace him in being Chelsey DeNofa's teammate for the 2022 season of Formula Drift? The idea of getting behind the wheel of an 800 whp RTR Mustang was certainly appealing to several pro drivers. Vaughn and Chelsey have built a strong team over these past few years.

They won the driver's championship last year, and they were in the spotlight for most of the races they took part in as a team since 2017. A lot of guessing took place over this past week, as people were trying to figure out who the new RTR Mustang driver would be. Some people were hoping that drivers like Daigo Saito or even Danny George would make their return to the series with this new move by the Ford-driven team.

But one thing was certain, Vaughn needed someone who'd be both popular and highly skilled at the same time. He needed someone to boost the team's results both on and off the track. And so, the most intense rumor of them all was that Adam LZ would be the man for the job. After all, his online presence is huge, with over 3 million subscribers on YouTube, more than 1 million fans on Facebook, and about 1.3 million followers on Instagram.

And the rumor became news just recently, as team RTR Drifting has announced that Adam LZ will indeed be one of their two drivers for the 2022 Formula Drift Season. The 26-year-old still has a huge mountain to climb after finishing 21st in the overall rankings this year. But with Chelsea and Vaughn guiding him along the way, there's no reason why he couldn't jump to the next level within 1 or 2 years from now.

According to Vaughn Gittin Jr., he plans on coming back to professional drifting in a few years, joining his two colleagues along the way. Of course, with Vaughn's new electric ventures, his comeback might have him sitting in an EV, which would be a first for the world of professional drifting. In his first video, Adam goes for a tour of RTR vehicles, where he gets to see his 2022 Mustang, now in its final phase of development.

As you would expect, at this point this, is not the official livery for 2022, but we do get a hint regarding some of the team partners for next year. The bike rack is a nice little touch, and those of you that have been following Adam LZ in the past will instantly get the connection. This 2021 RTR Mustang is packing a Roush Yates 455 ci (7.4-liters) V8 engine that's rated for about 800 horsepower at the wheels without the nitrous.

With the nitrous, this should be good for almost 1,200-horsepower, which just goes to show the extreme levels of tuning professional drifting is at right now. If you also consider the fact that this car weighs less than 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg), then you can at least imagine what it must feel like to drive. It's a good thing that the guys take it out of the shop for one last sideways test before an engine rebuild.