FFSA GT: Jodie Sloss takes victory in Dijon
- RACERS
- 3 hours ago
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Jodie Sloss secured her first victory of the 2026 FFSA French GT Championship season at Dijon-Prenois after a brilliant weekend that marked another step forward in the Scottish driver in her sophomore campaign.
Jodie Sloss secured her first victory of the 2026 FFSA French GT Championship season at Dijon-Prenois after a brilliant weekend that marked another step forward in the Scottish driver’s development.
Teaming up once again with David Levy in the Mirage Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4, Sloss delivered one of her strongest performances in her stints, combining good pace and consistency across both races; the duo came close to winning Race 1 before a late penalty demoted them to second place in the AM class, but bounced back in dramatic fashion on Sunday when Sloss produced a superb final stint to secure victory in Race 2. It marked her second career win in the series and concluded a highly competitive weekend at the circuit where she had claimed her first class podium one year earlier.
Sloss returned to the FFSA French GT Championship in 2026 looking to build on the momentum of a very positive rookie campaign the previous year, once again teaming up with David Levy in the Mirage Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4. The duo had emerged as one of the most consistent AM-class pairings during the 2025 season, steadily progressing into class frontrunners as she adapted to new circuits on her first international campaign.
The 2026 season opener at Nogaro further reinforced that trend: despite some technical setbacks early in the weekend, Sloss and Levy delivered two strong recoveries to secure second and third place finishes in the AM class.
The second round of the season brought the championship to Dijon-Prenois, a venue that held special memories for Sloss after she scored her maiden FFSA GT podium there in 2025. However, the weekend initially proved challenging once again, as the Mirage Racing duo worked to unlock more pace from the Aston Martin. In opening practice, Sloss and Levy recorded a 1:25.533, placing third in class and 23rd overall. They found some improvement in second practice with a 1:25.207, though the gap to the leading AM contenders suggested more work remained ahead of qualifying.
Qualifying took place in cool morning temperatures with low grip conditions. Sloss took the wheel for Q1 and immediately ran inside the overall top ten early in the session and second in AM class with a 1:24.2. As the track evolved and lap times continued to drop, the Scottish driver maintained her strong position throughout the session. She ultimately secured second in class behind only Julien Briche, in an encouraging qualifying performance.
David Levy then took over for Q2, though the session was interrupted early by a red flag after the #25 Alpine got stranded in the gravel. Levy’s first representative lap of 1:23.0 initially placed him second in class before he slipped to third as the session progressed. Another interruption followed with five minutes remaining when the #138 Alpine of Lemaitre caused a second red flag. Levy’s 1:23.022 nevertheless proved enough for 14th overall and third in AM class.
Saturday afternoon’s Race 1 was held in cool but dry conditions, with Sloss starting the #5 Aston Martin from 19th overall and second in the AM category. Crucially, she lined up behind two Alpine Cup entries and immediately faced the challenge of clearing traffic. At the start, Huteau’s Alpine GT4 spun into the gravel at Turn 1, though the race remained green.
Sloss produced an excellent opening lap, quickly dispatching the Alpine Cup cars and moving behind only the Pro-Am Toyota of Richer and the AM-leading #24 Porsche of Ricco Ferrarin. Settling into strong rhythm with consistent 1:23.8 pace, she held second in class comfortably while maintaining pressure on the class leader. Although Ferrarin responded with the fastest lap in AM and gradually extended a small advantage, Sloss remained extremely consistent in the low 1:24 range and kept herself in a good position.
As the pit window approached, Ferrarin became delayed while battling Pro-Am traffic, allowing Sloss to close slightly while also climbing to 12th overall after the #900 Toyota pitted early. Mirage Racing opted to extend Sloss’s stint a few laps longer, and after another composed run she pitted on lap 19 still second in class.
David Levy took over and rejoined not far behind the class-leading #24 Porsche now driven by Julien Briche. Levy immediately settled into competitive 1:24 pace and steadily reduced the gap. By lap 28, he had gained nearly a second on Briche and brought the deficit down to under two seconds.
Levy continued his charge, overtaking the #900 Toyota for 12th overall while relentlessly closing on the class leader. Although the Toyota of Kooiker briefly interrupted his momentum by repassing him and sitting between the AM contenders, Levy cleared the Toyota once again and resumed his pursuit. With ten minutes remaining, he gained nearly another full second on Briche and entered the closing stages directly in contention for victory.
Then, with seven minutes remaining, drama struck when the #33 Alpine of Shunker caught fire, triggering a Full Course Yellow. In the hectic moments immediately before the neutralization, Levy managed to overtake Briche and seize the AM class lead. Initially, Sloss and Levy were classified as winners of Race 1 after the race ended under caution, but a post-race 23-second penalty for an FCY infringement ultimately demoted them to second place in class.
Despite the disappointment, the result still displayed the team's excellent performance from both drivers.
Sunday’s Race 2 offered an immediate opportunity for redemption. Levy started third in GT4 AM and 15th overall, again with a couple of Pro-Am cars separating him from his direct class rivals. He held position cleanly through the opening laps before building strong pace in the 1:23.6 range and beginning another climb through the field.
Levy overtook Gudet and Henry to rise to 11th overall, and once in clean air consistently lapped in the 1:23s. A safety car was deployed on lap 10 following contact between the #30 Ginetta and the #25 Alpine, bunching up the field before racing resumed on lap 12 with 41 minutes remaining.
At the restart, Briche led Lemeret in AM while Levy ran third in class in 11th overall. Levy however continued to attack, clearing the #8 Toyota of Joshua Henry and briefly moving into tenth overall before the pair exchanged positions once more.
As the pit window opened, Levy stayed out while much of the field pitted, with all top-three AM contenders extending their stints. Levy climbed as high as fourth overall before finally pitting on lap 20 from second in class and handing the car over to Sloss.
The strategy proved effective; Sloss emerged second in AM after the Mirage Racing crew successfully jumped ahead of Ricco Ferrarin’s Porsche, while the leading Alpine still needed to stop. The Scottish driver immediately found strong pace in the 1:24.4 range and began pulling away from Ferrarin behind.
Although Ferrarin responded with improved pace, Sloss maintained a cushion of over two seconds. When the leading #63 Alpine eventually completed its stop with Auriacombe taking over, the Alpine rejoined around three seconds ahead of Sloss, though with two Pro-Am cars positioned between them.
Crucially, Sloss was several tenths quicker than Auriacombe and steadily reeled him in, reducing the gap to around one second before another Full Course Yellow was deployed with 15 minutes remaining after the #13 Ginetta of Victor Guerin became stranded in the gravel.
Sloss had meanwhile brilliantly cleared the Pro-Am Toyota of Beltoise, ensuring she would be directly behind Auriacombe for the restart and perfectly positioned to attack for the AM class lead.
The restart quickly descended into chaos with incidents throughout the midfield, bringing out another safety car almost immediately. However, Sloss had successfully survived the opening moments and crucially grabbed the AM class lead as Auriacombe became caught in the confusion behind.
A final green flag followed with just one minute remaining. In another frantic restart, Sloss kept calm and immediately passed the #78 Pro-Am Toyota of Leneutre to move into tenth overall. From there, she opened a decisive margin over both Ferrarin and Auriacombe to secure a superb AM class victory.
It was one of Sloss' best performances in FFSA GT to date, showcasing her improved racecraft, and confidence under pressure; after narrowly missing victory on Saturday, the Scottish racer delivered when it mattered most on Sunday to claim her second career win in the championship.
“Incredibly proud to take the win on Sunday in Dijon - an amazing feeling after a challenging start to the weekend,” said Jodie. “Huge thanks to my sponsors, engineer Jeanne, and all the guys working tirelessly on the car all weekend."
"Testing and qualifying were tough, but we kept pushing, made positive changes, and took every opportunity to improve. Delighted to see all the hard work pay off with such a strong result.”
The next round of the FFSA French GT Championship will take place in one month’s time at Spa-Francorchamps on 20–21 June - another venue that carries special memories for Sloss after claiming her maiden series victory there last season.
