LOS ANGELES, U.S.A — The third round of the 2025 Gran Turismo World Series (GTWS) took place in Los Angeles on November 8 (local time), captivating an excited crowd at the storied Orpheum Theatre—an Art Deco jewel that has stood since 1926, once echoing with the voices of legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Judy Garland.

The world’s best virtual racers took the stage in front of an excited capacity crowd for the Manufacturers Cup—a fiercely unpredictable showdown where once again pit strategy would play a major role. With the World Finals looming, the stakes for Round 3 could not have been higher. Subaru arrived as the clear favorite, having commanded the season thus far with back-to-back victories. Its hopes rested on American Daniel Solis, as he sought to extend the team’s winning streak. Close behind, BMW—twice a runner-up this season—placed its hopes squarely on veteran Randall Haywood, also of the U.S., determined to finally push the Bavarian marque to the top of the podium.

The Manufacturers Cup, a showcase uniting the highest-ranked automakers from the Online Qualifiers—joined by Official Partners Toyota, and Mazda—features 12 powerhouse teams, each represented by a trio of elite racers drawn from the Europe/Middle East/Africa, Americas, and Asia-Oceania Regions. Here in Los Angeles, under the grand arches of the Orpheum, all eyes turned to the contestants from the Americas as they braced for the high-stakes Round 3 showdown.

In qualifying, it was neither Subaru nor BMW that took the top spot, but a surprise showing from newcomer Noah Lanuza of France who set the fastest time for Team Mercedes-AMG in the GT3 race car, while American Donovan Parker took P2 in the Ferrari 458 Italia. Behind him were the Porsche 911 RSR, driven by Chilean Angel Inostroza, and Adriano Carrazza of Brazil in the Toyota GR Supra.

Grand Final: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, 30 Laps

The Grand Final was staged at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, a demanding circuit with sweeping elevation changes and challenging corners. Regulations required every team to complete at least one lap on both soft- and medium-compound tires during the 30-lap contest, ensuring that strategy would play a key role in the outcome.

Even before the green flag dropped, the race had already taken an unexpected turn: every car lined up on the grid wore medium-compound Dunlops. It seemed that each team had committed to a two-stop strategy—two stints on the grippier softs and one on the more durable mediums—for the numbers told the story: the mediums were expected to survive 13 to 14 laps, while the softs would fade after about eight.

With everyone running on the same compound tires, the race began predictably, the entire field bunched together and remaining orderly through the opening lap. On Lap 2, the Ferrari of Donovan Parker (SV-Cooper) made a clean move down the front straight, slipping past Noah Lanuza’s (PRiMA_Nono) Mercedes-AMG to seize the lead.

Subaru’s hopes faded early when Daniel Solis (PRiMA_Lamb) overcooked a few corners, getting the car sideways and tumbling to the back of the field. BMW fared only slightly better, not able to move up from its P8 position. As planned, Team Ferrari was the first to blink—pitting on Lap 16 as race-leader Parker’s 458 Italia devoured its tires faster than the rest. The mighty mid-engine/rear-drive machine had shown blistering pace early on, but its hunger for grip proved its undoing, forcing an early stop that would define the team’s race.

Then chaos struck at the front of the pack. Lanuza’s Mercedes-AMG was caught in a three-wide battle between the Toyota Supra of Adriano Carrazza (Didico__15) and Angel Inostroza’s (Veloce_Loyrot) Porsche 911. Contact was inevitable. The AMG slid helplessly off track, ending Lanuza’s hopes and clearing the way for Porsche to seize control, with Toyota giving chase. It was a heartbreaking moment for the rookie—a harsh lesson in the unforgiving realities of top-tier racing.

Most had expected the leaders to dive into the pits around Lap 15, yet they stayed out on their medium-compound tires… Lap 16 came and went, then Lap 17… Surely, their tires were worn beyond redemption. But against all odds, Team Mazda, with newcomer Samuel Cardinal of Canada at the wheel of the RX-Vision, nursed his Dunlops masterfully, stretching them all the way to Lap 18! Team Porsche (Inostroza) and Toyota (Carrazza) followed suit, pitting the following lap. It was now clear—they were betting everything on a one-stop strategy, hoping to ride their tires to the brink of destruction.

With his soft-compound Dunlops rapidly losing grip, Parker—who had led confidently through the early laps—was forced to dive into the pits on Lap 23 for a second stop. The move handed control of the race to Team Porsche, with Toyota and Mazda close behind, as Parker gambled that their tires would fade before the finish. But they didn’t.

Through the final three laps, Carrazza mounted a fierce challenge for the lead, but it was the Chilean ace, Inostroza, who guided his Porsche across the finish line first, in front of the Toyota—their tires worn nearly to the cords. Cardinal followed in 3rd, sealing the success of the trio’s bold gamble. It was an unexpected finish for Parker and Ferrari. His early dominance and raw pace had promised victory, but in the end, the bold strategy executed by Inostroza, Carrazza, and Cardinal carried the day.

This result in Round 3 wasn’t enough to unseat Subaru from the top of the standings—the Japanese team still led with 12 points—but it was a statement win for Porsche, while Mazda’s consistent performance moved them into a tie for 2nd with BMW at 10 points.

Said Inostroza in his post-race interview: "After finishing last in Berlin (in the Nations Cup), and dealing with some personal issues, I told the other drivers, I would be winning in Los Angeles, and here I am. For this race, I was trying to save my tires because I knew there would be a huge advantage in doing just one pitstop. So, through the latter part of the race, I tried to defend and do everything I could to win. I can say is that it feels awesome to be back at the top of the podium!"