Race Types Forza Horizon 3 Guide
Last update: 17 October 2016
This chapter details all of the race types available in Forza Horizon 3, their detailed descriptions and hints.
Classical race
Exhibitions
In any race - regardless of whether this is a fragment of the track or you go in circuits - you can pick the type of the event - Exhibition or Rivals, and after you complete the race, you will also unlock championship event in that area. You can (have to), complete the track both in the exhibition and championship mode. Both of them are assessed independently of each other and they are required for 100% game completion. You can race against opponents on any track at any moment and any number of times - you will be rewarded with a similar amount of experience points and credits, but you do not gain fans. By racing against your opponents, you go up in ranks in the overall scoreboard for a given track. This system automatically picks your opponents, basing on your settings and achievements.
In the majority of cases, the car that you use during the exhibition is the one that you drive to the site of the event. In the regular exhibition, to win the race, you are not required to climb the podium. You just have to complete it. However, your position on the scoreboard determines your pay.
Rivals
In each regular race, you can race against any opponent in time trial. However, completing the race this way does not gain you progress in the game and to compete a given race, you have to complete it in the Exhibition mode. The top list of players also displays difficulty level of each competitor - whether he used ABS/TCS and what kind of transmission he used (M - manual, A - automatic, MC - manual with clutch). You can pick a specific contestant that you want to race against - with such choice, you can view the "ghost", you can see the opponent's car and the way in which he broke the record. For defeating specific opponents you also receive more credit and points. If you do not have the car that is required for a given race, you can often lend it, but you cannot tune it then and match it with your preferences.
Mailing system of rivals is a piece of cake - every month, the system picks suggested tracks, where you race against opponents from across the world, in an attempt to get the best time. Rules of the race are predetermined - they concern a specific car or class, the make and performance. This allows for leveling the field, to some extent at least. You can view available challenges in your mail box in the game.
Important note - if your opponent beat the track without collision (yellow triangle with exclamation mark) your time - even if it is better, will not be taken into consideration if you sustained any damage yourself. Natural causes (such as elevation hops) and colliding with minor elements of the surroundings, poles, small trees or road signs all count as damage.
Championships
Each of the regular races, after you obtain sufficient number of completed exhibitions, will have a championship race unlocked. In this mode, you always race against predetermined cars-classes on3-4 tracks. For each race, you will receive points and the competitor to gain the most wins the race. This is why, losing in one race does not equal losing the championship itself. This type of races are completed independently of exhibitions and to attain 100% came completion, you have to win all 63 of them. Championships are a good test of the driver's skills, because they often impose stiff rules and competition becomes more and more demanding. Proportionately, rewards are also higher here (u to the amount of 50 credits and more for a single championship).
Head-to-head, Street races and Midnight events
The above three categories are tightly bound together. Head to head races are about challenging other drivatars. Unlock Bounty Drivatars skill in the Boss of the festival to earn more from races against unique opponents (marked with green crosshairs on the mini-map).
Hint: to complete those challenges fast, drive to the wastes and take the off-road car. This task requires you to reach the destination, instead of crossing checkpoints, which is why you can take shortcuts, and this is easier when you are not surrounded by trees.
By completing successive head-to-head races, you unlock Street races. These are illegal races in traffic of the "sprint" type - you race from checkpoint to checkpoint along a specific route. You will have to face many adversities: nighttime, opponents, often unfavorable and rainy weather, as well as traffic. Sometimes, a fragment of the track is metalled. You have to drive a car that you will reach the finishing line on. You have to come in first to complete the race.
Hint: to end street races in an easier way, try to get a car of the S1 class, 4x4 (it sticks to slippery surfaces better and allows you to get to the head of the race at the very beginning of the match, thanks to which they will be off your head).
To unlock Midnight events, you have to complete around 5 street races. The rules here are the same, but you race against the opponent 1-on-1, on any car. The opponent usually has a powerful, modified car, which is why you should pick your favorite car for this event. As a result of each victory, you receive your opponent's car. This is the only way to obtain some of the more unique cars in the game. List of such cars has been included in chapter Midnight events in the Obtaining of cars section, as well as on the list of all the cars in the game.
Bucket list
Bucket list is a list of challenges made by the game creators. You unlock them with progress into the game. A big advantage is that you do not have to own any specific car and what counts here is your skills only. Challenges have been grouped in several categories, e.g. perform a drift in a given zone and receive a specific number of points, jump to a specific height in a specific spot or beat a track within a time limit. Difficulty level of these challenges varies and completing them is required for 100% completion of the game.
Bucket list projects
Thanks to the bucket list, you can also create your own challenges that you will share with other players. Pick the car, the track and optionally, objectives (e.g. reach the speed limit point within a specific time limit and exceed a given speed)/ Before you post those challenges, you have to complete them first - this way you achieve a result that others will be trying to beat.
Bucket lists can also be created in the case of some offline races - if you want to complete a race, but you do not like the suggested cars that are required for that race, (e.g. if you reach the event on a car designed for off-road races).