Forget flowers and brunch — Give the gift of drift for Mother’s Day



(May 13, 2023) DEARBORN, Mich. — Mother’s Day is the time to give thanks to all the moms who raised, believed in and helped guide their kids every step of the way, even if some of those steps include the tire-smoking technique of a professional drifter, like Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his Formula Drift Ford Mustang RTR.


While not everyone is destined to become a drifting champ like Vaughn Gittin Jr., the all-new 2024 Ford Mustang makes it easier than ever to learn the gift of drift, as Vaughn recently did, to thank his mother, Dawn, for her support through the years.

With just a few minutes of practice and coaching, Dawn engages the electronic drift brake and eases the vehicle into a controlled power slide and tons of fun. Maybe Vaughn leaving that IT job wasn’t such a bad idea.

While drifting might run in the blood of the Gittin family, the new electronic drift brake for Mustang unlocks that same performance and confidence across all skill levels.

Laurie Transou, Mustang chief engineer, and her daughter, Claire, join Vaughn and Dawn to demonstrate just how intuitive the performance features of Mustang are. Claire engages Launch Control with just three touches on the screen, and before you know it, she’s racing down the track in seconds.

“One of the greatest joys of motherhood is teaching our children, sharing new experiences with them and watching them grow.  Mustang has the ability to make family bonds stronger by delivering fun experiences families can have together. Mustang has brought Vaughn together with his mom and me together with my daughter for an empowering and incredibly fun day!,” said Laurie Transou, Ford Mustang chief engineer.



The 2024 Mustang coupe is the first in its class to offer an available drift brake on Performance Packages which brings even more track-based performance to Mustang with options for every level of driver who wants to smoke some tires and practice their reverse entry cornering on the racetrack.

The Performance Electronic Braking feature perfectly meshes with other performance enhancements for Mustang, such as quick steering ratios and minimal compliance from steering wheel to tire, to significantly enhance the car’s cornering dynamics, with increased straight-line power that makes the 2024 Mustang a veritable drift machine.

Features such as line-lock, which holds the front brakes in place while the driver spins the rear tires, add even more performance to the already impressive 2024 Mustang. Drag racers traditionally use electronic line-lock ahead of the starting line to heat up the tire rubber for improved traction when the start light goes green. Electronic line-lock leverages advanced software technology that also allows drivers of all skill levels to achieve more consistent performance times.

Drawing inspiration from RTR’s Formula Drift Mustang Spec 5-FD and engineered in cooperation with RTR drivers Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Chelsea DeNofa, the 2024 Mustang equipped with Performance Electronic Parking Brake slides through corners with the ease of a professional drift car while maintaining the performance, comfort, and design characteristics that define Mustang.

The Performance Electronic Parking Brake comes standard with the Performance Pack on all Mustang models.

One final word of advice from Vaughn Gittin Jr. to all the moms out there? “Stay on the gas!”