FH5, Series 40, Week 3

The treasure hunt required you to do an awesome burnout skill in the vicinity of the test track, and being suspicious, I went into the test track in case you were meant to do it there. No, apparently not.

I did the weekly in the Lotus Exige, a car I rather like. No problems doing any of the tasks, and I got a good wheel spin after the race.

I did the HA and probably got something utterly naff.

I managed to one-shot all the PR stunts in the BMW X5 M. I got a one-third very good SWS from Mudflows. Paso Inferior gave me a one-third good SWS, and the SWS from La Marisma, which I’d been practising, spat in my face and called me a dog and a poltroon.

The photo got me enough Brownie points to unlock the 2023 911 GT3 R. Tuning 8/9 (the exception is brakes). Perks are good, but you’re forced to unlock a wheel spin to get another race bonus (the result was rubbish). Quite a few engine swaps, but for the stock, there’s not a wide range of upgrades. I checked the painting options and found that there are three paint groups for the body. I took it for a spin stock and then tuned. My initial feeling was that it needed more aero as it seemed a little slidey round corners. On the whole, it seemed reasonably drivable.

Meanwhile, one of the forum clowns is already complaining about some error with the modelling of the car. I think one of the lights on the steering wheel was 0.005 microns to the right of where it ought to have been. Actually, I have no idea because said clown didn’t bother identifying this terrible, traumatising lapse in fidelity.

Eventlab (1). Woodsman’s Wonderland. I think this annoyed me because I was tired. I think this would’ve been better if I could’ve done some practice laps. My third or fourth 718 Cayman GTS, a car that I’ve never really liked as it feels anaemic.

Eventlab (2). Johonua. Not a bad circuit with cartoon-like use of props. I was in my Audi TT RS Coupé, but wonder whether there were better choices of car. I thought the circuit was all right, but I’d really need to do some practice first. The SWS was one-third good.

I was back in the TT RS for the HW PR stunt, which I one-shotted. The SWS was one-third good and one-third very good.

No one-shotting the RA PR stunt in the BMW X5 M. I managed to make a bit of a mess of the first run-up to danger sign, but got it on the second attempt. The SWS was rubbish.

I wondered what to drive in the Trial. I toyed with the 2009 MB AMG SL 65 Black Edition, but went with the Ferrari F12tdf. I started on the back row of Stadium Circuit and managed to finish 2nd after watching some well wacky drivatar behaviour as one of them flew off the track and managed to rejoin it just in front of me. Tierra Próspera went very badly. On the sharp left-hander, I got slammed into the wall, but ghosted, which sort of saved me. I’d got round the same corner again, but there was jostling, and I think that one of my teammates may have taken umbrage at some door banging, which resulted in me getting shoved out of a checkpoint into last place. I tried to catch up, but made insufficient progress, and as my team was winning, I decided not to quit.

I’m never really sure what to do with super GT cars. The words “overweight” and “overpowered” spring to mind. My GTC4 Lusso has 1,700hp and yet is only at the top of S1 class. The F12tdf has bugger-all scope for an S1 build and flies off into S2 class without much effort. I had a fiddle with the V12 Vantage after completing the Trial, but it was stupidly overpowered. I have an idea which I must try later.

I was tempted by nostalgia to give the Eliminator a go, which has returned after being displaced by hide-and-seek, but as I like neither of these game modes, I stuck two well-deserved fingers up to it. I assume that in FH6, the two modes will perhaps alternate with each other on a weekly basis; or perhaps PGG will see sense and make Forza Horizon Kiddie Games, where they dump all the infantile stuff, thus leaving the rest of us with a more serious racing game.

I did end up doing one of last week’s seasonals, Speed and Precision, after finding that I only had one 2012 911 GT2 RS. The Dunas Blancas and Bahía de Plano were both wet and therefore annoying.