Deane, Hobson Join Three Ford Mustang RTR Cars for Round 1
Formula Drift hits Georgia for round 1 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with three Ford Mustang RTR Spec-5 FD cars entered for the second round of its 2026 season. Vaughn Gittin Jr., James Deane and Ben Hobson are all in the field, and Road Atlanta is the first of two planned Formula Drift appearances this year for Gittin.
Road Atlanta Brings Three Entries
The Ford effort centers on one team owner and two drivers. Gittin, the RTR Vehicles team owner, joins Deane and Hobson in the same machinery, giving the Atlanta round a clean three-car lineup for the brand.
Deane and Hobson arrive with useful early-season mileage. Both were strong in the return of the single-car, two-run qualifying format in the first round on the streets of Long Beach, won their tandem battles in the Top 32 and advanced to the Top 16 before missing the Great Eight.
Deane Returns After Long Beach
Deane’s opening-round form was not the only recent marker. He finished second in the first round of the Drift Masters championship last weekend in Rome, Italy, then turned his focus to Atlanta with a clear reference point from last year.
“I’m really excited to return to Formula Drift Atlanta where I won last year. We didn’t have the perfect start to the season in Long Beach, but I’m pumped for Atlanta and I’m hoping to get back on the podium in Round 2,” Deane said.
Atlanta Schedule On Thursday And Saturday
The on-track schedule starts Thursday May 7 with practice from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed by warm up from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Qualifying runs from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Later in the week, Saturday May 9 opens with warm up from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
The main event then moves into the elimination rounds, with Top 32 set for 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Top 16 scheduled from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. That gives the Atlanta round two full days of meaningful track time before the field is cut down.
Hobson enters with the same momentum and the same target. “I’m super pumped going into Round 2 in Atlanta! After getting a feel for the car this season in the last round, I just know that we are going to do great things this year,” he said.
