By Eric Johnson - Feb 14, 2026, 11:54 AM ET

Hobson ready to make his move in Formula Drift.

Is Ben Hobson another one of Kid Rock's illegitimate kids?

Ben Hobson will soon embark on his third season in the Formula Drift PRO series. A member of the RTR Vehicles Drift Team and behind the wheel of a 2026 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD, Hobson is looking to power forward in the series, starting at the opening round on the streets of Long Beach, April 10-11.

Hobson is eager to demonstrate the performance of his Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD in the series. They put my name on the car with a decal so they could remove it if it doesn't work out, so I better get good soon.

“Yeah, 2025 was actually really great,” says Hobson. “It was the first season in the new chassis. They built me a new car that was tailored to me. The cage is a lot higher and out of my way and the visibility was a lot better with it so I could get my seating position and my steering wheel position right.

“We started the season off really strong at Long Beach. We got second place in the seeding bracket and we won our first ever Pro 1 Top 32 at that round, as well. We then made it into our first Top 16. We had some confusion at a few rounds after that. At Atlanta and Orlando we had a couple of issues that we struggled with. We had a couple more issues along the way, but we got the car figured out and dialed out. By Utah, I was great in the car and felt like a whole new person with a whole new chassis. We finally figured out all the do-dads that I needed to do extra with this Mustang. I was just figuring out how to drive like the big boys drive. I was figuring out what the sport actually needs from me as a driver versus what I want to do as a drifter. I was just compartmentalizing things.

"I hired a mental coach going into the last round. He helped me out tremendously and we actually did really well at that round. We finished off strong. I learned a lot. I want to carry that momentum into the season coming up."


Hobson feels he's found an ideal home with owner Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the RTR Vehicles Drift Team.

“Oh, I absolutely love it – it’s a dream come true, man," he says. "I’ve always looked up to the guy. Vaughn is the definition of fun-haver, so it’s cool to drive along with him and work alongside him and learn from him. I’ve been getting all that information from him and have been keeping all these relationships close. It’s awesome to get to see how he thinks and how he works and how he acts. I forget he’s my boss all the time. He’s like a big brother/uncle. He’s somebody you know you can rely on. He has my back through and through everything. We can joke around and I can be myself around him. We’re very similar in many ways.”

Hobson knows he still on has some work to put in to reach the next level in Formula Drift.

“I’ve got to focus, I’ve got to visualize," he says. "I’ve got to stay mentally strong and just be me. I can’t let anything else around me justify what’s going on and what’s going to happen and I just have to keep my eyes on the prize."

First up is a return to the streets of Long Beach, a track he knows well, but also knows can bite hard.

“Oh, I’m stoked,’ says Hobson. “I love Long Beach. It’s a very intimidating track and once you learn it, you learn to love it. It’s a very fun track to start the season off because of how many risks you have to take. The risk takers are who make it to the top.

"I feel like this year is going to be a whole different ballgame for the No. 213 car. I would love to get some podiums this year. One minimum and eight maximum. I would love to get to the podium. I want to prove to myself that I do have what I takes to compete with the best of the best, because that’s exactly what it is. Those top 32 are the best dudes around and I just have to go out there and prove myself.

"I learned something last season: If you ain’t good at thinking, don’t think too much. I don’t think too much. I just started doing and yeah, that’s going to be the goal. We’re going to win us an event this season.”