Vaughn Gittin Jr. Introduces #BROCKY
This new 4500 Spider 9 IFS powered Jimmy’s 4×4 racer is making its debut at SEMA this week (yes, IFS and 4500 are in the same sentence). We have no doubt this wild machine driven by world champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. is going to turn some heads in Hammertown next year. We just received the first official press release out of Vaughn Gittin Jr. Motorsports and wanted to share that will you here. Enjoy!
JOPPA, MARYLAND, OCTOBER 31, 2016 — Coming off of an unprecedented top 10 finish in his first ever running at the 2015 King of the Hammers off-road race—becoming the first crossover driver ever to do so—Drift Champion and Professional Fun-Haver, Vaughn Gittin Jr., will compete in the February 2017 event with a Jimmy’s 4×4 Ford Bronco. Vaughn will race in the pro ‘4500: Rubicon Express Modified Class’ of the Ultra 4 Racing series in partnership with New Bright R/C, who will produce radio-controlled toy versions of #Brocky that will be available for sale at major retailers late 2017.
“I am a Professional Fun-Haver: I just love driving and challenging myself behind the wheel,” Gittin Jr. explains. “Some of the ultimate challenges in the off-road world is Ultra 4 Racing with the King of the Hammers race being the pinnacle. Last year I worked with my friends at Nitto Tire to afford myself the epic opportunity to race at King of the Hammers. On paper, I was a bit over my head but was confident in my abilities to study, listen, learn, and adapt. With some solid support from the amazing people that make up the off-road community, including tips from fellow drivers Loren Healy, Casey Currie, Shannon Cambell, and Bailey Cole—after a fire-drill lesson and barely an hour of seat time—I was confident enough to dive head first into the world of off-road racing. Thinking back about it now, it was all a bit nuts. I’ll never forget the first vertical climb Loren Healy broke me in on, and my first climb of ‘Chocolate Thunder’. Both were just insane and I really thought it was a joke at first but as soon as I got to the top I understood just how much capability the Jimmy’s 4×4 built race trucks can provide. I quickly learned that Ultra 4 Racing was another sport in which car control and overall understanding of vehicle dynamics that is learned through drifting translates very well to. I am sure it is pretty obvious now that my first Ultra 4 Racing experience gave me the bug. I am pumped to have teamed up with some amazing partners to step up to the pro ‘4500: Rubicon Express Modified Class’ and have some more fun with this incredible off-road community!”
#Brocky will debut at the Ford Out Front display during SEMA 2016 with Gittin Jr. behind the wheel as part of the “RTR Takeover” twice a day at Ford Out Front (12-1pm and 4-5pm). The hand-built Bronco by Jimmy’s 4×4, is running their 4500-IFS chassis, and is powered by the Ford Performance Z427 engine, which produces upwards of 600 horsepower. Gittin Jr. has chosen Nitto Tire Trail Grapplers, American Racing wheels, and KING Off-Road Racing Shocks to take on the abuse that is endured during Ultra 4 Racing. New Bright R/C will be replicating the Bronco with a special 1:8th and 1:15th scale model of the rock crawler to be available at major retailers for sale fourth quarter of 2017.