FFSA GT: Jodie Sloss maintains podium streak with pair of third place finishes at Magny Cours
- RACERS
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
“An incredibly valuable weekend, full of tough yet rewarding challenges" - Jodie Sloss continued her strong rookie FFSA GT Championship season with two hard-fought third-place finishes in the AM class at Magny-Cours, maintaining her podium streak and strengthening her position in the championship standings.
Jodie Sloss overcame challenges at Magny-Cours — the fourth and penultimate round of the 2025 FFSA GT Championship — to maintain her streak of podium finishes, collecting two third-place results in the Am class.
The Scottish driver completed two solid races at the former home of the French Grand Prix, scoring valuable points for the championship as she continues to make steady progress in her rookie season.
Sloss is contesting her first full international campaign in the 2025 FFSA French GT4 Championship, stepping up after previous success in the UK’s GT Cup Championship. Continuing her relationship with Aston Martin, she joined Mirage Racing behind the wheel of a Vantage AMR GT4 Evo, paired with David Levy. Alongside her experienced teammate, Sloss has adapted quickly to unfamiliar circuits and the series' highly competitive field.
After making a strong debut at Nogaro, where she finished just shy of the podium in Race 1, Sloss enjoyed a breakthrough at Dijon-Prenois with her first pair of Am class podiums, taking second and third. At Spa-Francorchamps, another new venue for her, she delivered a standout performance by claiming her maiden victory in Race 1 and a runner-up finish in Race 2.
Heading into Magny-Cours sitting third in the Am class championship standings, Sloss faced another new circuit to learn. With limited experience, she needed to progress quickly through the sessions, while finding the best car setup. She and Levy ended Free Practice 1 in P4 in class with a best time of 1:49.732. During the pre-qualifying session, the team continued to fine-tune the #5 Aston Martin Vantage, and Sloss logged solid laps to prepare for qualifying.
Jodie took the wheel for Q1, setting a 1:47.425 in a session with mostly Pro drivers, placing fourth in class and 13th overall. David Levy took over for Q2 and delivered a strong performance, initially running third overall. He posted a 1:47.381 and remained inside the overall top ten. Although Casalonga in the #131 Porsche ultimately demoted him to third in class, Levy secured P9 overall for the race start and retaining third in Am.
Sloss started Race 1 from fifth in class and 13th overall. She made a solid getaway, gaining one position into the fast Turn 1 before launching an attack on the #131 Porsche, overtaking it shortly after. She then went side-by-side with the #17 Toyota of Leal at the hairpin, briefly moving into second in class before slotting back into third, in a remarkable first lap for the Scottish driver.
The Am class pack remained tightly bunched; Jimenez launched an attack on Lap 2 and moved ahead, while Sloss maintained a consistent gap, also fending off pressure from Cauvas behind. The race began to settle as Sloss pulled clear of Cauvas, although Jimenez managed to open up a few seconds.
On Lap 8, the #10 Ginetta of Gialdini — third overall — slowed with mechanical issues and pitted, promoting Sloss to 12th overall while she remained fourth in the Am class. She continued her steady rhythm and handed over the #5 Mirage Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 from P4 in class and P12 overall as the pit window opened.
Midway through the race, Levy rejoined fifth in class. He reclaimed fourth when Casalonga pitted and slotted back behind with 23 minutes to go. Levy then pushed hard, gaining over three seconds on the #17 Toyota Supra GT4 of Malagamuwa. On the following lap, he completed a clean pass into the Adelaide Hairpin to move into third in class.
Levy then began chasing down Grizaud in the GPA Racing Porsche, gradually reducing the gap from 14 to 12 seconds. Both drivers then cleared the Pro-Am car of Rostan, but with 10 minutes to go, the top three were matching lap times and no safety car appeared to bunch up the field.
Positions remained static, and Levy brought the car home in third place in class at the chequered flag, with Stéphane Lemeret taking victory.
The second race of the weekend took place on Sunday afternoon under sunny skies, following an overcast morning. David Levy started the race from third in the Am class and ninth overall, holding position in class and settling into P10 overall.
Early drama however struck when the #131 Porsche of Casalonga crashed heavily, bringing out the safety car. With Auriacombe also dropping back, Levy moved up to second in class during the neutralization. The race resumed after 10 minutes under yellow.
On the restart, Levy continued in ninth overall and second in class behind Grizaud in the #72 Porsche. He put pressure on the Pro-Am car of Lemaitre while fending off Van Straaten’s #6 Porsche. Van Straaten eventually made a move into the Adelaide Hairpin to take ninth overall, with Auriacombe’s Alpine also closing in.
Despite the pressure, Levy continued to push and set the fastest lap in class — a 1:47.481 — as the pit window approached. He stayed out longer, running around six seconds behind the class leader before pitting on Lap 16. Sloss took over from second in class.
Back on track, Sloss was immediately in the thick of the action: she came under heavy pressure from Thomas Leal in the #17 Toyota, who eventually passed her for second. Meanwhile, Kevin Jimenez, leading the Am class, completed a slower stop but rejoined still ahead.
Sloss then engaged in a tense battle with Lemeret in the CMR Alpine, who set the fastest lap in the Am class and eventually passed her on Lap 19. Sloss responded by setting her personal best — a 1:48.3 — improving by over a second as she found her rhythm.
Crucially, the #17 Toyota received a 12-second penalty for a short pit stop and an additional five seconds for track limits. With 11 minutes remaining, Sloss needed to stay within 17 seconds of Leal to retain a podium finish. By Lap 24, the gap was 13 seconds — enough to put her back into third on corrected time.
Sloss held the margin and crossed the finish line within the required gap, securing a third-place result. Mirage Racing therefore collected two more Am class podiums — an important haul of points at a circuit where the Aston Martin lacked its usual pace, but where determination and consistency paid off.
“An incredibly valuable weekend, full of tough yet rewarding challenges", Sloss commented. "While we faced some hurdles in achieving the performance we aimed for, we walk away with key lessons and positives that will only make us stronger moving forward."
"A huge thank you to my sponsor, AllTech, and to team Mirage for their unwavering support throughout this journey!“
Sloss and Levy remain third in the Am class championship standings with 120 points, heading into the season finale of the FFSA GT Championship at Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France on 3–5 October.