I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person to experience it but every one of us has a track on Forza that you find is made for you, you can be average on every other track but this one is different you suddenly find your competing with racers you usually only see the back off. Maybe you’ve like me wondered why you can’t race like this on every track but I suppose it’s like everything in life there are things you excel at naturally, others you’re distinctly average at and the rest that you just plain suck at. I now just enjoy that I’m really good at my fave tracks in case I over think it and ruin my relationship with them. I would seriously like to hear from everybody about your fave tracks and just so you know in Forza 4 my fave is Maple Valley short reverse F class my ranking is 371 of 233,515 in Forza 5 its Prague full track class D where I’m ranked 677 dunno out of how many leader board doesn’t show that stat. Now I know many off you are not gonna be that impressed but I ran those times using standard controllers and the auto box as a touch of arthiritis in my hands affects the dexterity required to run a manual gear setup with or without clutch. So let’s hear about your fave tracks and what other tracks you would in your perfect world like to see in Forza 5 and all future releases. Plus as an add on to this subject I would also like to hear from all you other disabled racers about your experiences on the best race game on the planet and Xbox in general with any ideas about how they could be improved possibly to make both more accessible to others who sometimes struggle due to health issues. Any way people gimme a shout out on the topics raised I really would like to know about all your experiences and views on the subjects above.
Hey there DJDem13
I am a disabled Veteran and have nerve damage, neck, back and hand issues that make it all but impossible for me to run more than 3-5 laps in manual clutch mode, regardless of what buttons I set for the clutch, etc. So I feel your pain when it comes to competing with the top racers or even the High quality racers. I have only been playing forza since summer last year, but once I discovered Forza I bought my first game console in 12 yrs (360) along with Forza 2, 3, 4 and Horizon, all VIP or Platinum additions in Nov and then bought the Xbox One and Forza 5, Dec 31st. I have made great improvements in my humble opinion, but I have to realize that because of the physical damage I sustained in the military and in a couple bad accidents also, there is a point where I am at a disadvantage as far as lap times. I haven’t yet been able to afford a high end wheel and seat set up with shifter and clutch, but I am hopeful that will allow me to step up at least one more level.
Right now I think I have 13 Top 500 times on different tracks and classes for the rivals, I have finished all the regular Championship races with the drivatars set to Pro and using TCS, Auto Shift and just the braking line with Regular steering and I have ran about 40% of the rival tracks/class offerings plus 30-40% of the bonus tracks in Championship mode. I’ve done 931 races, driven 85 hrs 21 mins, have 960 perfect turns, 325 perfect drafts, 505 perfect passes and Zero perfect drifts.
Thats just for reference, I know its all relative and there are much better racers out there, but I am greatly improved and proud of that. Forza really is a way for me to experience the racing career experience that my injuries prevented me from pursuing in the real world. So I am thankful beyond what I can express in text to T10 for developing this series.
I did msg phREDESIGN about an idea to help include us disabled folks and the inexperienced racers a bit more in the monthly competitions. I suggested running Rival events and bounty hunter events where you have to not only use the same car, but also you have to drive it in auto shift. I think this one step would bring a whole bunch more people into the community and camaraderie that is evident in the forums and the rivals events. I mean the fastest are always going to be the fastest, but the auto shift levels one portion of the playing field that a major portion of the users find highly challenging or even physically impossible.
Sorry for blathering on and on and on…
Favorite track is between Full Prague, Full Yaz, or Full Sebring. Prague has a special place in my heart though. I am pretty good on the Top Gear track in several configurations also, but its not as fun for me. Now I need to learn to drift I guess.
Happy Racing All!
I’m with you on the arthritis. I have it as well, but mine isn’t too bad just yet. It took me a long time to finally start using manual and even longer to start using clutch. Its really hard when your hands won’t cooperate or they start to hurt really bad. I just stayed with it and finally found a way to use the controller that lessens the effects of the arthritis for me. I’ve been running manual with clutch for the last three weeks or so and have really seen major improvements in my times because of it. My biggest issue is downshifting as reaching the X button with my thumb can be very difficult. So I just don’t slow down now 
Seriously, what I did to help ease me into it was to change the function of the buttons at first. Instead of using B for up and X for down, I used A for downshifting. That made a huge difference for me. Eventually, I altered the way I hold the controller so I could get to the X button better and then made the A button the clutch. That made an even bigger difference. I still miss quite a few downshifts, but I deal with them.
Don’t give up on it, you might find a way that works for you in the future. Try altering the way you hold the controller. That is a huge adjustment, but it really helped me out.
Oh and my favorite tracks are Spa, Yas Marina and Road America.