IMPC: Christine Sloss secures first GS Bronze class victory at Watkins Glen
- RACERS
- Jun 24
- 3 min read
Christine Sloss secured her maiden victory in the GS Bronze class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Watkins Glen, in the fifth round of the championship. With a consistently strong first half of the season, Sloss now edges closer to the lead in the Bronze standings.
Christine Sloss secured her maiden victory in the GS Bronze class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Watkins Glen, in the fifth round of the championship held in support of the iconic Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. With a consistently strong first half of the season, Sloss now edges closer to the lead in the Bronze standings after another superb result.
Racing newcomer Christine Sloss has quickly established herself as a consistent front runner in the GS Bronze class. Driving the #15 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for Van Der Steur Racing alongside her husband Ben Sloss, Christine entered the 2025 season with limited prior racing experience but has impressed with steady progress and adaptability. She made her series debut at Daytona, finishing second in class after a composed performance.
Building on that start, Christine continued her full-season campaign with a second-place finish at Sebring—teaming up with MHP Peters—before taking a third consecutive podium at Laguna Seca alongside Ben Sloss. The duo then collected more valuable points at Mid-Ohio with a third place in class and arrived at Watkins Glen aiming to keep building momentum.
In first practice, the husband-and-wife duo spent time learning the challenging circuit and steadily improved their pace. Ben Sloss posted a 1:59.368 lap, placing them third in the Bronze class and P21 overall. Both drivers found significant improvement in the second session, with Ben clocking a 1:57.182 for third in class, while Christine also lowered her personal best by over three seconds.
Christine Sloss handled qualifying duties for the #15 Aston Martin and delivered an excellent performance. After initially running third in the Bronze Cup, she improved on her final flying lap with a 1:58.884, which placed her second among the Bronze entries—just one tenth behind class leader Ted Giovanis and ahead of Rafa Martinez after an incredibly close session. Christine would line up 19th overall on the GS grid.
On Saturday afternoon, the green flag waved with Christine Sloss making a great start. From P19 overall, she immediately moved into the Bronze class lead after passing Giovanis in the opening laps. The first caution of the race came when the TCR cars of Tomlinson and Pegram tangled at the Bus Stop chicane.
At the restart, Sloss briefly lost the Bronze lead to Rafa Martinez but held second in class and kept Giovanis at bay. As the first pit stops cycled through in GS, Christine maintained second in the Bronze Cup and climbed to 16th overall in GS, delivering a strong first stint with impressive consistency.
Just past halfway, another caution bunched the field once again. Christine Sloss pitted at the perfect moment, handing over to husband Ben Sloss, who rejoined 17th in GS overall and, crucially, in the Bronze class lead—being the only Bronze car on the lead lap before the pass-around procedure.
Ben Sloss managed the class lead well in the closing stages. Drama unfolded when the #72 Pegram Racing Hyundai broke down with 12 minutes remaining, triggering another caution. The race resumed with 10 minutes to go amid heavy traffic and further incidents, including contacts at the Bus Stop chicane and a later off for the #19 Mustang of Liefooghe at Turn 5. Sloss, crucially, always kept it clean.
Ultimately, the race ended under yellow, sealing a superb class victory for Christine and Ben Sloss. The pair completed the race P14 overall in GS and topped the Bronze Cup, marking Christine’s first win since joining the competitive IMSA-sanctioned series.
It was a well-earned triumph built on Christine’s excellent opening stint, strong pit strategy by the team, and a composed run to the finish by Ben. With this result, Christine Sloss now sits second in the GS Bronze class championship standings on 1590 points—just 20 points behind leaders Plum/Giovanis as the season reaches its midpoint.
