RTR Mustang Finishes First at 2023 Formula Drift

At this year’s Formula Drift, Ford and RTR took the race’s first place spot, with driver Chelsea DeNofa finishing out the season on top of the podium in a Spec 5-FD competition Mustang vehicle.

“Mustang was bred for racing, from drifting to road courses, and we’re excited to build on this first championship for the all-new Mustang,” said Joe Bellino, Mustang marketing manager. “We’re confident this is the first of many trophies, and it came from a dominant season.”

In parallel with teams from Ford, RTR worked this year to develop three Mustang RTR Spec 5-FDs for the 2023 season, crafting vehicles that share DNA with the all-new, seventh-generation 2024 Ford Mustang, and whose new exteriors are based off the Mustang production car. Packing around 1,300 horsepower and with added enhanced suspension development, these vehicles had to undergo a lot before they were deemed ready for the track and for this year’s RTR drivers. The team featured some of the biggest names in drift driving, including Vaughn Gittin Jr., Chelsea DeNofa, Adam LZ, and their newest team member, three-time champion James Deane.

“What an amazing accomplishment for our team along with Ford Performance support to earn the first championship with the all-new Mustang,” said Vaughn Gittin Jr. “I remember 20 years ago when I was first driving the Mustang people looked at me sideways, now the Mustang platform is an icon in the sport with more and more showing up at events and in the collective culture.”

With performance cars like the Mustang, the track-ready and street-going versions of the car have always influenced each other closely, and this year is no exception, with the commercially available version now featuring the Mustang’s first ever electronic drift brake, a first in the segment as well. A collaboration between Ford and RTR, this available feature combines the rear-wheel-drive drifting capability of a Mustang with the visual appeal and functionality of a traditional mechanical hand brake to electronically mimic the response of a hydraulic drift brake like the one found in RTR’s Formula Drift Mustang. The electronic brake provides more than three times the braking force of a conventional mechanical parking brake system, and is now included in the Mustang Performance Electronic Parking Brake, available on the 2.3-liter EcoBoost and the 5.0-liter V8 Mustangs and in the available Performance Pack.

Want to learn more about the new Mustang! Make sure you check out our available inventory online for further information!