When iRacing announced in the 2025 Season 4 update that its popular GT3 series would be split into three new regional championships—Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific—the reaction was immediate and polarized. Some cheered the expanded track pool and extra race slots, while others worried it would “kill” the main GT3 series or dilute participation across too many splits.
Now that the season has begun, the early results and community conversations paint a more nuanced picture.
A Strong First Day
On launch day, the GT3 Fixed series ran with 21 splits and the GT3 Open with 13 splits—healthy numbers by any standard. At the same time, the new regional GT3 series were pulling around six splits each.
One iRacer noted that these numbers proved there were more than enough drivers to support all the series. They added that the “massively expanded GT3 track pool” was a big win—if you dislike one week’s track, another series is likely running something different.
The Case For Regionals
Supporters argue that iRacing solved one of GT3’s biggest problems: stale schedules. Community voting had locked the series into the same “greatest hits” rotation—Daytona, Spa, Le Mans, Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta—while many tracks were ignored.
As one racer put it, voting systems tend to funnel results toward the same favorites every season. With regionals, variety is guaranteed. Another added that it’s refreshing not to face “the same tracks 3 out of 4 seasons.”
The Case Against
Skeptics still question whether three new GT3 series were necessary. One commenter said they could understand adding one alternative series, but tripling it felt like overkill. Others pointed out that if the community really wanted more variety, they could have voted for different tracks instead of relying on iRacing to split the series.
There’s also concern about long-term sustainability. Several iRacers cautioned that Week 1 always shows inflated numbers thanks to “new season hype” and participation credit chasing. The real test, they argued, will come in Weeks 9–12 once the novelty wears off.
Some worry that while the main GT3 series are safe, IMSA could see its participation thinned out during less popular track weeks.
Frustration With Execution
Even some who like the concept are unhappy with how it was implemented. Critics pointed out that the regionals don’t actually change much: the same license class, same race lengths, same cars—just new timeslots, server regions, and track selections.
One driver suggested that iRacing missed an opportunity to do something bolder, such as:
- Making races longer,
- Mixing in GT4s for a “British GT”-style multiclass, or
- Creating an alternative series focused only on underused tracks.
Instead, they see the move as more of a copy-paste job.
Too Early To Call?
Others urged patience, reminding the community that many drivers may not even realize these new series exist unless they’ve starred them in the UI. For now, the turnout looks strong, especially since the regionals launched on base content tracks, making them accessible to nearly everyone.
But once the schedules move deeper into paid content, participation may face a sharper test.
The GT3 Regionals haven’t killed the main series—in fact, both Open and Fixed are thriving alongside the newcomers. But whether this expanded format remains sustainable once the novelty fades will be revealed later in the season.
For now, iRacing’s gamble has succeeded in one key area: giving GT3 drivers more variety, more options, and fewer excuses to sit out weeks they dislike.
The debate, however, is far from settled.
