FH5, Series 27, Week 2

Antique bangers.

I started the playlist with a crash. The game got to the playlist screen, I nudged my mouse slightly, and FH5 went CTD on me.

When I returned, I started with the treasure hunt by driving along the beach on the west side of the map in search of a volleyball net, accidentally grazing one and completing the task. The treasure is round the back of Buenas Vistas.

I opted for the 1975 Bronco for the weekly. It was a sound choice, but I ought to has specced it up for the seasonal in the Titan so that I could cover the cross country race and the seasonal championship in one go.

I used a stock Lexus RC F for Midtown Urban City (a name which now that I look at it is a tautology since “Midtown City” or even “Midtown” would be sufficient). I couldn’t be bothered rebuilding and retuning my other RC F to meet the requirements. It was an actual race, but it was long and twisty, being yet another tiresome start-stop sort of course. In one section I was permanently in second. Admittedly, a stock FC F wasn’t the best choice. My efforts got me a Jeep Grand Cherokee which I must delete sometime.

The other Eventlab event was Motorinsanity Stormy Bay. Cue atrocious weather which was matched by an ill-defined, ill-considered course. I got a mostly rubbish SWS out of it.

I one-shotted both PR stunts and got two entirely dreadful SWSs for my efforts. Ironically, the wheel spin I got for going up a level gave me more money than the SWSs did. However, my two VIP SWSs turned up and awarded me more than half a millions credits as compensation.

I decided that as the Jeep CJ5 Renegade has the best PWR in class, I’d use it in Gone Truckin’. It was a bit floaty because it’s very light, but it was easy money and an SWS that was one-third good and two-thirds American.

I don’t understand the title Stop, Hummer Time. I assume it’s a reference to some domestic American thing. A800 Hummer. I rebuilt my H1 and did an engine swap to get it to the top of A class. I turned up to Copper Canyon (feelings of dread ensued) to find that the drivatars were all in Hummer EVs. I had several rewinds in Copper Canyon including one where my car bounced and flipped into the railway viaduct after the jump. I had to restart Oasis because of a cheating drivatar. I got a Dodge Durango, which is more garage spam. Something else to delete.

I thought about driving an actual Shelby car for Torque the Talk, but ended up in the 2016 Shelby Mustang GT350R. All the drivatars were in Shelby Mustangs. In Riviera I immediately found myself in last place before ploughing my way through the drivatars and sneakily manoeuvring my way into first place. Playa Azul and Los Jardines were no bother.

The photo. Podgy American barge. The Caldera. Done.

I also used the Shelby GT350R in Horizon Open where I fared about as well as usual (i.e., badly).

I wish the game would list all cars for an event, indicating those that meet the PI requirements, rather than those cars which are solely eligible. For the Trial I ended up back in the 1975 Bronco and then banged my head against the desk when I saw other players in the more obvious choice – the International Scout. I managed a 5th in the Mangrove Scramble (couldn’t catch the drivatar ahead of me) and a 4th in the Teotihuacán Scramble (I got ahead of all the drivatars this time), and that was the Trial done. Got a 2009 Corvette, but I prefer the 2015 or more recent models.

I one-shotted the HW PR stunt in my 2017 Ford Focus RS and got a one-third good SWS.

I suppose that if we have to race S2-class cars, the HW Theme Park is the place to do it. For Cobra Car I picked the Ford Supervan 3 (irony moment: it’s festooned with Union Jacks). I managed to take that awful hairpin in the Ram’s Head Sprint without making the most awful mess of it. In the twin loop circuit I had to rewind and physically block a Hoonigan Mustang (which ought not to have been in the race except to slip and slide all over the place) from passing whereupon it gave up and left me alone. The reward was one of those cars from the turn of the century which is allegedly a Mustang, but looks nothing like one.

I also one-shotted the speed zone in Sierra Nueva and was back in my 2017 Ford Focus RS. The SWS was one-third good.

The seasonal, Founding Fordfathers, was another instance where the game needs to list all possible vehicles to use in the race, although there was some quirkiness. The Colin McRae Focus ought to have been listed, but wasn’t. I ended up my rally-specced 2017 Ford Focus RS, but at the start of the first race wondered whether I ought to have opted for a rally monster. I needn’t have worried as the Focus turned out to be an excellent choice.