Round 10 of the 2018 FIA Gran Turismo Manufacturer Series is the last event of Season 3 for the Americas Region, and the last chance to gain bonus points for all of the top players. This Top 24 Superstars race would consist of 21 laps around Brazil's challenging Interlagos Circuit in Group 3 cars that represented the players' chosen manufacturers.

Going into the race, the Porsche and Citroën drivers were mired in a tight battle for the series championship, as only a few hundredths of a point separated them in the championship standings. After the 15-minute qualifying session, hometown hero IOF_RACING17 (Nissan) took pole position with a lap of 1:31.823 in the GT-R GT3.

When the green flag dropped, it was the Viper SRT GT3-R of Turismo-lester (Dodge) that made the biggest move, grabbing the lead from 3rd position on the standing-start grid to the top of the pack. Deafsun96 (Ferrari) and pole-sitter IOF_RACING17 followed closely, as the rest of the cars seemed to be driving cautiously, not wanting to press the issue and cause a pile-up.

The first to stumble was GumballCGT (Mercedes), who got a bit loose through a corner and immediately dropped two places, from 4th to 6th. The tight middle section of Interlagos made passing difficult, although a few cars thought about it, but chose not to act. This meant that Turismo-lester held onto his lead through the first lap. FT_NicoR (BMW) was the most aggressive here, as he moved up to 4th, with his sights clearly set on FT_Mcqueen91 (Dodge) who was then running in 3rd.

FT_Mcqueen91 responded by drafting the car ahead and moving past Deafsun96 to put the two Dodges at the top. This dropped Deafsun96's Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 into the clutches of FT_NicoR and IOF_RACING17. Both passed the Ferrari, with IOF_RACING17 ending up in 3rd place.

On Lap 11, every car dove into the pits to top off their fuel tanks and receive fresh tires. FT_LLOYDZELITE (Citroën) had a blistering pit stop, coming back out in the lead, moving up six positions. FT_Mcqueen91 also had a great stop, and gained several places in the pits, but fellow Viper driver Turismo-lester went in the opposite direction, dropping to 4th place. Race leader FT_LLOYDZELITE came under heavy pressure, which caused him to make a huge mistake, running wide through a corner. This error allowed FT_Mcqueen91 and IOF_RACING17 to pounce and get by easily.

All this time, FT_NicoR kept charging hard, slicing his BMW M6 GT3 through the field like a well-sharpened ginsu knife. He was all over IOF_RACING17’s rear bumper, until finally he got past. While FT_NicoR and IOF_RACING17 battled each other, FT_Mcqueen91 moved into the lead with five laps to go.

All but four drivers had amassed penalties for most of the race, meaning the outcome was far from certain as the likes of FT_Mcqueen91 and FT_LLOYDZELITE tried to tactically take care of their penalties without losing position. FT_NicoR showed no such concerns as his BMW M6 GT3 kept charging, grabbing 2nd place. Only a second separated the top three positions.

The race was still up for grabs as the cars started the final lap. FT_Mcqueen91 maintained the lead, but he still had to deal with a penalty. FT_NicoR kept the pressure on from 2nd place, closing the gap through the corners, but wasn't able able to keep up with the powerful Viper on the straights. Then FT_NicoR made his move, about halfway through the lap, taking the lead away from FT_Mcqueen91. Now, the question was whether he could hold onto it.

Yes he did, but just barely, squeezing out a victory by finishing a mere 0.095 seconds in front of FT_Mcqueen91, as the pair seemed to cross the finish line together. After his major disappointment in the Nations Cup race, FT_NicoR got his revenge in the Manufacturer Series race here at Interlagos.

The hometown fans cheered on their hero, IOF_RACING17, as he came in 3rd, with his car scarred from several intense battles on the track.

FT_LLOYDZELITE’s early pit stop resulted in a 4th-place finish with Turismo-lester taking 5th after all the penalties had been applied.

GumballCGT, FT_Solid, TRL_doodle, FT_5zigen and FT_Ant rounded out the top ten.

With that final race, Season 3 of the 2018 FIA Gran Turismo Championship is officially in the books. Attention now turns to the Regional Finals in October to decide who will advance through to the next stages.