Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. has become the first person ever to drift an entire lap of the 20 km Nurburgring Nordschleife. He accomplished this in his supercharged Ford Performance Aluminator 5.0 XS powered Mustang RTR Spec 5-D.

“I was out of my comfort zone for the majority of the hot laps,’ said Gittin Jr.. “I did not know the Green Hell nearly as well as I thought I did. Everything changes when you’re going sideways at those speeds. When we stopped for the first tire change I was elated. I had to catch my breath, which is something I have never experienced behind the wheel since I was a rookie in Formula Drift.”

Gittin Jr.’s specially prepared Ford Mustang RTR uses a Vortech JT trim supercharger, capable of 700-900 horsepower and a PPG Performance 6-speed sequential gearbox to row through the gears of the tight and technical course. Road-legal Nitto NT555 G2 tires, SCT Performance GTX tune and XForce Exhaust added to the cars performance capabilities.

“The Nordschleife is one of, if not, the most iconic track in the world and I have been in love with the danger and folklore of the famous Green Hell at the Nürburgring since I can remember,” said Gittin Jr. “I finally went there in person in 2013 and it was then that I made a promise to myself that one day I would return to drift it in its entirety. Drifting the Nürburgring represents the ultimate challenge to me: it is something that many questioned whether it would be possible and whether the car and driver could do it and come out in one piece. Something inside of me had to take this on to find out.”

With the help of his partners including Ford Performance, Monster Energy, Forza Motorsport, and Pennzoil, Gittin Jr. was able to assemble a world class crew of filmmakers, support staff and logistics management to make sure the project went as smooth as possible. Gittin Jr. tried to tackle the Nordschleife last fall but the unforgiving weather made it impossible. Gittin Jr. made a promise to return and drift in the proper manner.