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It is Winter in Mexico, and while it feels pretty Baltic here in merry old England, at least it isn’t currently snowing. But in Forza Horizon 5 land the main focus is on the latest set of Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges, and the best cars and fastest tunes you’ll need in order to compete.
Care to join us as we take a look at the weekly challenges that are forthcoming in Forza Horizon 5 with the winter of Series 18? We’ve got some seriously fast cars and tunes for you…
Part 1: #Forzathon Weekly Challenge – Gymkhana Ten
This week, the car we need to do the main challenge in is another of Ken Block’s whips – the Hoonigan Gymkhana 10 Ford Focus RS RX.
Now, this is a car that you cannot buy from the Autoshow, so if you haven’t got one already (and it was a prize a couple of weeks ago) then you will need to head straight for the Eventlab this week, as it is the prize for one of those.
Once you have your hot little hands on the keys, you will be sorted with the next few steps.
Chapter 1 – Guanajuato Run
Get in your Focus and drive it. Sounds easy enough, right?
Chapter 2 – Tunnel Vision
We have to win one of my least favourite races now, the Tunnel Run Street Race in Guanajuato.
I love Forza Horizon 5 but even now I still hate this track. Still, the stock trim should be good enough to see you complete this step. If you can mind the walls at least.
Chapter 3 – Pinata Homage
Find and smash a donkey pinata in Guanajuato to recreate a famous scene from Gymkhana where Ken, I guess, smashes a Pinata? I really should watch the film, shouldn’t I…
Anyway, the only pinata I have found is at the City Escape Trailblazer and just after the start a pinata is sat on a bench on the right. Smash it, finish or fail the Trailblazer, and the step is complete.
Chapter 4 – Tyre Slayer
Now simply earn an Ultimate Drift or E-Drift skill while in Guanajuato. Narrow windy streets, tunnels and traffic, what could possibly go wrong?
Should you manage to nail it, then the prize is 5 points towards the weekly car, and 160 FP. Nice eh?
Part 2: Challenges
Even more Eventlab stuff to try this week, with two to have a go at, alongside the fun of the Trial and the usual mix of racing and stunting about.
Let’s dive straight in and see what is what, shall we?
The Trial – Trail Mix
There is a car restriction in place for this event, and that car is the Alpine A110 from 1973. Luckily, we can tune it a bit, to the tippy top end of C Class, 600. Of course, the car is 550 out of the box, so it will be minimal. I made this share code: 104135796.
It isn’t the fastest race in the world to be honest, but the Driverbots are running about in stock trim, so this should give you a chance.
Our Prize is an Audi Quattro, which is okay, I suppose.
Eventlab 1 – GT DENY Presents Crop Circle Stadium Rally
We have to complete this race in a Hoonigan car, in S1 Class 900. With this apparently being a Rallycross circuit, I immediately went for the old school Escort Hoonigan made, and my share code is: 264985022.
Little side note, this is the tune that our erstwhile editor actually downloaded, as it blew him into the weeds on one of our sessions.
Completing the course will see you walk away with the Hoonigan Focus RS RX, the car we need for the weekly challenge. That’s lucky, eh?
Eventlab 2 – RICKRANGER711 Presents River Rush
This time the event calls for an unlimited Offroad vehicle an A Class, up to 800. Of course, the only car for the job is the trusty Jeep Trailcat, share code : 118411445. This should see you right, as again, playing solo, all you have to do is complete the course.
The prize? A Super Wheelspin. It’s super.
Seasonal Playground Games – On My First Whistle
Those of you old enough to remember the Gladiator TV series will remember this phrase as it’s the one that the referee used to say at the start of every event. This time though it is our invitation to play some games.
We need an AWD vehicle in an A Class 800, so we might as well stay in the trusty Trailcat a bit longer, eh?
Our prize is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a Jeep Gladiator! Gladiators ready…
PR Stunt 1 – Danger Sign – Stadium Jump.
Fancy jumping your car, your pride and joy, a truly ridiculous distance? Well, that’s lucky!
The distance we need to clear this week is 400m, and we have to do it over the stadium. There’s only one car for the job, the same BMW X5M FE that I always use, and the share code is 519084427.
The landing is the hard part here, as the stadium is full of the stunt park, so pick your spot.
Flying like a bird will get us a Super Wheelspin.
PR Stunt 2 – Speed Zone – Rocky Hills
Stay in the Beemer is my advice, as now we need to try and do an offroad speed zone, with a target of 85 mph average. Sounds easy, right?
Well, there are a couple of nasty bends to take into account, so cutting as much as you dare will help you here. It seemed marginally easier approaching from the south.
Another Super Wheelspin will be yours if you can hold your nerve, and your line.
PR Stunt 3 – Trail blazer- Quebrada
Again, it is the same car for this job, as we need to finish the course with over 33 seconds left on the clock. A tall order.
Keep pretty straight and watch the bridges is the best advice I can give.
Another Super Wheelspin can be yours!
Seasonal Championship – Rally to Rumble
Is it PJ and Duncan who are spinning in their graves this week, or am I just really old? Whatever, the challenge this week is to utilise a Modern Rally car, tuned to B Class 700, and to then win the championship solo or best two out of three races in a convoy.
Modern Rally says only one thing to me, an Evo, and I went with the EVo VIII MR, and the share code is: 141172186.
Coming out on top will get a car, an Opel Manta 400 to be precise.
Seasonal Championship – Sprint Finish
We have to use a car class I wasn’t aware of, that of Homologation Heroes, which helpfully isn’t a category you can filter by in the garage. Still, I went with a Ford Sierra RS500, and as the tune limit is B Class 700, the share code for it is: 364526118.
You can win a BMW M3 GTR for your trouble. And then paint it like the hero car in Need for Speed: Most Wanted, which is the law.
Part 3: Other Challenges
Pretty slim pickings this week, with only a Photo and a treasure hunt challenge to have a crack at. Still, let’s see if we can help you out, shall we?
Photo Challenge -#HorizonPulsar
Photograph the Nissan Pulsar at the Lion mural by Farid Rueda, which is found in Playa Azul. I will share my effort and the location of the painting below.
For getting snap happy, a Farid Rueda Lion Tank Top can be yours. Er, yay?
Treasure Hunt – Pouncing Pumas
No prizes for guessing which car we need this week, eh?
Yes, the Ford Racing Puma, and the clue reads “This big cart can ford a river over 100 m wide”.
So, a jump, and this led me to a danger sign. Yet it seems the river bit is a red herring, as I did it at the Launch Control danger sign at the Mexico Festival site. And I did mine in the Forza Edition of the car, with share code: 146677047.
I’ll share the location of the treasure chest below, which contains 100 FP.
Finally, we have a bit of Horizon Open to do, and we have to compete in a dirt race. Not knowing what class will come up makes it impossible to recommend a car, but just bear in mind you don’t have to win, just take part.
And for doing so, you’ll win a Festival Sombrero. Finally, my life is complete!
Part 4: Hot Wheels Events
If you are an elite level Hot Wheels player then you’ll discover a couple of extra events to enjoy. Whizz off to Hot Wheels Park and you can get involved in the following.
Seasonal PR Stunt – Drift Zone – Ice Cauldron.
We need to slide about a bit, in an S2 Class 998 car in order to complete this challenge. The target is 175,000 points, which is pretty steep, but the car I chose, the Hoonigan Hoonicorn in stock trim, can pull it off.
Approach from the north and use the speed boost to really boost the score is my advice.
For doing this challenge, a Super Wheelspin will be sliding its way towards you.
Seasonal Championship – Zero to Hero
We need a Sports Utility Hero vehicle for this series, and the tuning limit is A Class 800.
I chose a Bentley Bentayga, the world’s ugliest car, and the share code is: 118484657.
Finishing the championship on top solo, or winning best two out three races in a convoy will get you an Ultima 1020, which is very definitely not an SUV!
Seeing as we are in Series 18 of the Forza Horizon 5 Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges, you should know that there are Monthly Rivals Events to enjoy too. For this latest Series that means you get the chance to pound your way around a couple of circuits – La Selva Scramble and the River Scramble – as cleanly and as fast as possible. You can get involved in those by hitting up the relevant event tiles on the Festival Playlist tab.
Whatever you partake in with Series 18 Winter will earn you points towards free cars. Winter throws the Polaris RZR Pro and No.42 Extreme E your way, whilst full season rewards come in the form of the Subaru Brat for 80pts and the Sierra 700R for 160pts.
Series 18 concludes with Spring next week, and the Nissan Safari and MINI X-Raid being your rewards. After that? Series 19 is here – and that means we’ll be taking in the ‘Midnights at Horizon’.
In order to be able to complete the Forza Horizon 5 Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges for Series 18 – Winter, you’ll need a copy of Forza Horizon 5 in your digital library. Sitting pretty on Game Pass or behind a cash outlay, it is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S or PC, all via the Xbox Store.
The comments section is below. We’d love to know if any of the cars or tunes listed have helped you out this week. Don’t be afraid to let us know what worked – or didn’t – for you.