FM Update 14 Overview - American Thunder Month
Compete with 2024 Next Gen NASCAR vehicles in the American Thunder Tour and the NASCAR Series in Featured Multiplayer.
Forza Motorsport Update 14 invites you to step behind the wheel of next-generation NASCAR stock racers. The American Thunder Tour is where you will experience the advanced 2024 Next Gen NASCAR racers. From Homestead-Miami and Indianapolis to Eaglerock Speedway and Sunset Peninsula, this month is a competitive celebration of oval stock car racing in Forza Motorsport.
Visit the Showroom to acquire three all-new NASCAR racers – the 2024 Chevrolet NASCAR Next Gen Camaro ZL1, 2024 Ford NASCAR Next Gen Mustang Dark Horse and 2024 Toyota NASCAR Next Gen Camry XSE – available as Spotlight cars during Week 1 of American Thunder.
This update also tunes the competitiveness of Drivatar AI for more intense oval racing, and adds rolling starts to multiplayer races – an essential element of the new NASCAR Series in Featured Multiplayer, available to race over the next 5 weeks. While a limited-time event for American Thunder Month, it will also return in the future as part of our Featured Multiplayer Series rotations.
Announcements
- Blog: 2024 NASCAR Season Heats Up in Forza Motorsport
- Release Notes: Forza Support
- Video:
Dates
| Content | Date |
|---|---|
| Blog overview | Monday, October 14, 2024 4:00 PM |
| Content Update | Monday, November 4, 2024 6:00 PM |
| Week 1 start | Thursday, November 7, 2024 12:00 AM |
| Week 2 start | Thursday, November 14, 2024 12:00 AM |
| Week 3 start | Thursday, November 21, 2024 12:00 AM |
| Week 4 start | Thursday, November 28, 2024 12:00 AM |
| Week 5 start | Thursday, December 5, 2024 12:00 AM |
| Weekly Events close / Open Tour Reward deadline |
Thursday, December 12, 2024 12:00 AM |
| Featured Tour close & Reward deadline |
Thursday, December 26, 2024 12:00 AM |
CARS AND REWARDS
New Cars
Update 14 adds 6 cars to the game roster: 4 cars added to the Showroom and 2 Reward cars. This brings the total roster to 623 cars. See Forza Motorsport Cars List | Forza to filter the list by Division, Collection method, and Update Additions.
| Car | Access | Available | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Chevrolet NASCAR Next Gen Camaro ZL1 | Showroom | Nov. 6 | ||
| 2024 Ford NASCAR Next Gen Mustang Dark Horse | Showroom | Nov. 6 | ||
| 2024 Toyota NASCAR Next Gen Camry XSE | Showroom | Nov. 6 | ||
| 2010 Mazda #16 Mazda Racing B09/86 | Showroom | Nov. 20 | ||
| 2019 Hennessey Camaro Exorcist | Reward | Open Tour or Challenge Hub | Nov. 6 | |
| 1988 Chevrolet #77 Beretta Trans Am | Reward | Featured Tour or Challenge Hub | Nov. 27 |
Reward Cars
Reward cars are available to collect once for a limited time and are not available from the Showroom.
-
1988 Chevrolet #77 Beretta Trans Am: Complete all series in the American Thunder Tour in Career before December 24, 2024, or 10 races in the NASCAR Series in Featured Multiplayer (reward available Nov. 27).
-
2019 Hennessey Camaro Exorcist: Complete all series in the Open Class Tour before December 11, 2024, or complete 10 races in the Cycled Class Series Featured Multiplayer.
Showroom Discounts
Spotlight cars are featured in the Showroom each Wednesday at 4pm Pacific Time, available at a 30% discount with in-game credits. VIPs can also look forward to an exclusive 15% discount on a different car each week in the Showroom.
| Spotlight Discount | VIP Discount | Dates (4pm PT) |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 Ford #6 Zakspeed Roush Mustang IMSA GT | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 | |
| 2024 Chevrolet NASCAR Next Gen Camaro ZL1 2024 Ford NASCAR Next Gen Mustang Dark Horse 2024 Toyota NASCAR Next Gen Camry XSE |
2019 Ginetta G40 Junior | Nov. 6 - Nov. 13 |
| 1976 Chevrolet #76 Greenwood Corvette | 1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe | Nov. 13 - Nov. 20 |
| 2010 Chevrolet #55 Level 5 Motorsports Oreca FLM09 2010 Mazda #16 Mazda Racing B09/86 |
1996 Ferrari F50 GT | Nov. 20 - Nov. 27 |
| 2015 Chevrolet #10 Konica Minolta Corvette Daytona Prototype 2015 Ford #02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley MK XXVI Daytona Prototype |
2014 Mazda #70 SpeedSource Lola B12/80 | Nov. 27 - Dec. 11 |
| 1986 Merkur #11 MAC Tools XR4Ti | 1988 Nissan #33 Bob Sharp Racing 300ZX | Dec. 4 - Dec. 11 |
Challenge Hub
We introduced the Challenge Hub in September alongside Mid-Engine Month in Forza Motorsport. Get ready for new objectives and rewards in Mustang Month with refreshed Featured Challenges and Weekly Challenges available for you to complete. Credits, cars and race suits are all up for grabs in challenges available across Career, Featured Multiplayer and Rivals.
As a reminder, each update’s reward cars can be obtained by either completing the Featured Tour in Career or by playing a specified number of races in Featured Multiplayer – it’s your choice!
Featured Challenges
| Title | Description | Reward | Challenge Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Thunder Challenge | Complete all series in the American Thunder Tour; OR Complete 10 races in the NASCAR Series in Featured Multiplayer |
1988 Chevrolet #77 Beretta Trans Am (Available from Nov. 27) | Nov. 6 - Dec. 25 |
| Open Class Challenge | Complete all series in the Open Class Tour; OR Complete 10 races in the Cycled Class Series Featured Multiplayer |
2019 Hennessey Camaro Exorcist | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| NASCAR Racer | Complete 5 races in a NASCAR car | NASCAR Race Suit | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| As Autumn Colors Fall | Complete 25 laps at Maple Valley | Camo Autumn Race Suit | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| Logitech McLaren G Challenge | Complete 5 clean laps in the Logitech McLaren G Challenge Qualifier #1 Rivals event | 50,000 Credits | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| Mobil 1 Pegasus Challenge | Complete a clean lap in the ‘Race Mobil 1 Pro Driver – Tyler Reddick Rivals event | Mobil 1 Pegasus Race Suit | Nov. 27 - Dec. 11 |
FEATURES
Gameplay Adjustments to Support NASCAR
November is NASCAR month! To celebrate, we’ve made global changes in both Updates 13 and 14 to improve the racing experience across the game, and to make oval racing especially shine:
- Tuned Drivatar AI on Ovals to have cleaner race starts, transition more smoothly after race start, and to trail more effectively.
- Tuned car-to-car collision response for more physically accurate energy dissipation. This reduces the impact of small collisions and allows for more stability and control.
- Downforce reduction for lead cars when drafting was reduced to make it easier to maintain position. (Update 13)
- Improved Drivatar AI trailing ability especially in braking zones, making Drivatars less prone to rear ending other cars. (Update 13)
- Updated the multi-car aero model to reduce downforce impact on leading cars, widen the aero wake near the car, smooth transitions near wake edges and reduce drafting induced aero balance changes. (Update 13)
- Additionally, we’ve added support for rolling starts in Featured Multiplayer. Rolling starts will be enabled for all events in the NASCAR Series in Featured Multiplayer in Update 14. Rolling starts will be added to additional events, where appropriate, starting in Update 15.
- Homestead-Miami Speedway track layouts have also been refreshed with new NASCAR branding – check it out and be sure to snap some photos or replays of your favorite battles on the track!.
Forza Race Regulations
With Update 14, we’ve pushed a new Forza Race Regulations model with a slight reduction to false positive penalty assignments, and an improvement to severity assignment.
Advanced Ghosting in Multiplayer
Advanced Ghosting is a support mechanism for Multiplayer and Forza Race Regulations to help prevent some key collision or off-track situations from adversely affecting the online racing experience. Players will be ghosted in the following scenarios:
- Predicted high relative velocity collisions: when an imminent collision between two cars is detected while driving above the speed threshold, the car with the higher velocity will be ghosted. This does not include low-relative velocity collisions like small fender bumps.
- Returning to track: when a car goes off track, they will be ghosted to prevent collisions caused by unsafe re-entry until they have returned to track and reached a minimum speed threshold.
- Stopped on track or driving below a speed threshold: cars that are driving too slowly or are entirely stopped and blocking traffic will be ghosted to prevent risk to other cars.
- Driving the wrong way on track: cars driving the wrong direction on track will be ghosted until they are driving in the correct direction and meeting a minimum speed threshold. This is an existing behavior but has been expanded to include cars at extreme angles relative to track direction and speed.
- Experientially, our goal was to use this system to safeguard against egregious collision and griefing behavior, while preserving the physical authenticity of racing where bumping and touching may occur when fighting for position.
OTHER GAME CHANGES
Below is a snapshot of improvements included along with fixes in Update 14. Head to Forza Support to view the full release notes:
- Rendering
- The global reflection probe for the track is now captured at the camera location and includes the track itself. This allows reflections to appear more accurate and prevents visual pops in the reflections by smoothly fading over time.
- Audio
- Updated car audio for the following vehicles based on community feedback:
- 2010 Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SV
- 2019 Lamborghini Sian FKP 37
- 2013 McLaren P1
- Updated car audio for the following vehicles based on community feedback:
- Gameplay
- Players are now able to move AI Drivatars from one group to another and resort the grid. [1849430]
- Featured Multiplayer
- Medium races in Featured Multiplayer events have been updated to target a 20-minute race length.
- Spec Series Division Changes
- 1988 Chevrolet #77 Beretta Trans Am Added to and balanced within the GTX Sportscar Series
- 2010 Mazda #16 Mazda Racing B09/86 Added to and balanced within the Forza P2 Series
- Private Multiplayer
- Non-host players now have a UI element to convey information on whether the player’s ready to race, ready to spectate, or unready.
- Livery Editor
- Autosaved tunes no longer apply to a player’s tune save limit. [1846128]
- Developers Note: Autosaved tunes still appear in the game menus, however they do not impact your tune save limit, which is currently 450 tunes. We are actively working on increasing save limits for a future release.
- Autosaved tunes no longer apply to a player’s tune save limit. [1846128]
- UI
- Added a ‘Sort by Overall’ / ‘Sort by Group’ button to Event Results for Multi-Class Races allowing players to compare how they did against the overall driver list. [1797481]
- Drivatar AI
- Improved Drivatar AI pitting logic, especially in Endurance Races. [1820786, 1884711]
- Fixed a bug where tire wear was not correctly affecting grip of Drivatar AI opponents in races. [1820786]
- Physics
- Fixed an issue on Mugello and other tracks where hitting curbs could cause sporadic, uncontrollable spins. This would occasionally occur when one or more tires rapidly accelerated or decelerated while unloaded during cornering. While curbs can naturally affect car balance, this fix ensures more predictable handling in these scenarios. As in real life, drivers should still approach curbs with caution, as they can disrupt vehicle stability.
- Adjusted track wall friction on Eaglerock Speedway, Daytona, Homestead, and Indianapolis to more accurately reflect physical material properties. [1888599, 1890395]
- Accessibility
- Fixed an issue where the Drift UI would not meet high contrast mode standards. [1875857]
Adjusted the drift HUD to improve contrast ratio. [1870244] - Added screen narration to the event countdown timer displayed when UI overlaps occur with the regular timer. [1873944]
- Fixed an issue where the Drift UI would not meet high contrast mode standards. [1875857]
EVENTS
CAREER MENU
FEATURED: AMERICAN THUNDER TOUR
American motorsport is unique in the global racing landscape. From roaring stock cars thundering around oval tracks like Indianapolis and Daytona to the precision and agility showcased in road racing on Sebring, the spectacle is undeniable.
Modern NASCAR
The American Thunder Tour starts with a celebration of Modern NASCAR as three new 2024 Next Gen NASCAR racers duke it out on oval tracks vying for dominance. Choose your favorite of the three to compete with in this NASCAR-focused series.
American Road Racing
American cars in the 1970s through 1980s represented the power, thunder and muscle of racing. Take a tour through tracks in the Americas while competing against this era of cars in American Road Racing.
American Le Mans
Tracks in the United States like Road Atlanta are home to Le Mans events outside of Europe such as Petit Le Mans. Experience the competition of cars from 2010s to modern era in American Le Mans. For the Spotlight cars, it’s Chevy vs Mazda, as two iconic 2010s era endurance cars go head-to-head in endurance races featuring American tracks.
Daytona Prototypes
Race to the limit in Daytona Prototypes, the final series in the American Thunder Tour. Compete on tracks that highlight the technical excellence and robustness of Daytona Prototypes.
American Thunder Tour Reward
Complete all four series in the American Thunder Tour in Career before December 25, 2024, or 10 NASCAR Series races in Featured Multiplayer during American Thunder Month, to earn the new-to-Motorsport 1988 Chevrolet #77 Beretta Trans Am.
- Modern NASCAR (Starts Nov. 6)
- Daytona International Speedway – Tri-Oval Circuit (12 minutes)
- Indianapolis – Brickyard Oval (12 minutes)
- Watkins Glen – Short Circuit (8 minutes)
- Eaglerock Speedway – Full Circuit (8 minutes)
- Homestead-Miami Speedway (12 minutes)
- Sunset Peninsula – Oval Circuit (12 minutes)
- American Road Racing (Starts Nov. 13)
- Lime Rock Park – Full Circuit (12 minutes)
- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (12 minutes)
- Road Atlanta (12 minutes)
- American Le Mans (Starts Nov. 20)
- Sebring International Raceway (12 minutes)
- Road America (12 minutes)
- Laguna Seca (12 minutes)
- Daytona Prototypes (Starts Nov. 27)
- Watkins Glen – Full Circuit (8 minutes)
- Virginia International Raceway – Full Circuit (8 minutes)
- Sunset Peninsula (8 minutes)
- Daytona International Speedway – Sports Car Circuit (8 minutes)
- Reward Showcase (Complete all American Thunder Tour series)
- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Full Circuit (8 minutes)
FEATURED: OPEN CLASS TOUR
Once you have mastered racing the world-famous tracks across the massive breadth of the USA in the American Thunder Tour, check out the Open Class Tour to continue the story of these iconic racecars. Check it out under the Featured tab in Career mode.
Open Class Tour is where you can resume the journey of your favorite tuned cars, and each update to Forza Motorsport refreshes the Open Class Tour with new events and a different reward car. Cars you’ve already upgraded in a different Builders Cup series can be further levelled up in the Open Class Tour.
The Open Class Tour features six series, each with three races, that range from D Class to R Class. Upgrade your favorite stock racers – or any other cars of your choosing – and use them to complete all six series in the Open Class Tour before December 11, 2024, and you will receive the 2019 Hennessey Camaro Exorcist, new-to-Motorsport with Update 14.
You can also unlock the 2019 Hennessey Camaro Exorcist by completing 10 Cycled Class Series races in Featured Multiplayer.
- Open Class Tour (Available from Nov. 6 - Dec. 11)
- D Class Series
- Road America – East Circuit
- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Short Circuit
- Yas Marina – North Corkscrew
- C Class Series
- Hockenheim – Short Circuit
- Mugello – Club Circuit
- Lime Rock Park – Full Circuit
- B Class Series
- Nürburgring – Grand Prix Circuit
- Watkins Glen – Short Circuit
- Yas Marina – North Circuit
- A Class Series
- Kyalami – Grand Prix Circuit
- Hockenheim – Full Circuit
- Laguna Seca – Full Circuit
- S Class Series
- Brands Hatch – Grand Prix Circuit
- Daytona International Speedway – Sports Car Circuit
- Homestead-Miami Speedway – Road Circuit
- R Class Series
- Hakone – Grand Prix Circuit
- Suzuka – Full Circuit
- Catalyna – Grand Prix Circuit
- Reward Showcase (Complete all Open Tour series)
- Maple Valley – (8 minutes)
- D Class Series
FEATURED MULTIPLAYER MENU
Overtake the opposition on a variety of ovals in the NASCAR Series, where every lap brings new thrills and unexpected twists. Available under the Featured tab all throughout American Thunder Month in Forza Motorsport, while also returning in our future Featured Multiplayer Series rotations.
Update 14 also introduces a new, one-make Ginetta Juniors Spec Series, in addition to returning events: BMW M3 Spec Series, Lotus 3-Eleven Spec Series, Subaru BRZ Spec Series, and the Mazda Miata Spec Series. In addition, we’re also bringing back the Modern Factory Racecar Series, Vintage Le Mans Sportscar Series, Early Factory Racecar Series, Forza P2 Series, and GTX Sportscar Series.
Evergreen Series like the Endurance Series, Forza Touring Car Spec Series, Forza GT2|3 Spec Series, Multi-Class Series, and the daily Cycled Class Series all continue throughout Update 14.
Here’s a look at the Featured Multiplayer calendar of upcoming events for American Thunder Month:
| Featured Series | Spec Series | Open Series | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Series Modern Factory Racecar Series Ginetta Juniors Spec Series |
Endurance Series Forza GT3 Spec Series Forza Touring Car Spec Series |
Multi-Class Series (ABCS) Cycled Class Series (P,D,X,C,E) B Class Series |
Nov. 6 - Nov. 13 |
| NASCAR Series Vintage Le Mans Sportscar Series BMW M3 Spec Series |
Endurance Series Forza GT2 Spec Series Forza Touring Car Spec Series |
Multi-Class Series (ABCS) Cycled Class Series (P,D,X,C,E) A Class Series |
Nov. 13 - Nov. 20 |
| NASCAR Series Early Factory Racecar Series Lotus 3-Eleven Spec Series |
Endurance Series Forza GT3 Spec Series Forza Touring Car Spec Series |
Multi-Class Series (ABCS) Cycled Class Series (P,D,X,C,E) S Class Series |
Nov. 20 - Nov. 27 |
| NASCAR Series Forza P2 Series Subaru BRZ Spec Series |
Endurance Series Forza GT2 Spec Series Forza Touring Car Spec Series |
Multi-Class Series (ABCS) Cycled Class Series (P,D,X,C,E) R Class Series |
Nov. 27 - Dec. 4 |
| NASCAR Series GTX Sportscar Series Mazda Miata Spec Series |
Endurance Series Forza GT3 Spec Series Forza Touring Car Spec Series |
Multi-Class Series (ABCS) Cycled Class Series (P,D,X,C,E) B Class Series |
Dec. 4 - Dec. 11 |
RIVALS MENU
Over the next five weeks, Featured Rivals invites you to set the fastest lap times in events featuring next-generation NASCAR machines and iconic American racecars. Take one of the three new high-performance 2024 Next-Gen NASCAR cars through their paces at Grand Oak – National Circuit in the Spec Division – NASCAR Rivals event. These same racecars can also be hot lapped at Daytona International Speedway – Sports Car Circuit in the Spotlight Rivals available for Week 1 of American Thunder.
We also have a new series of Rivals events with our friends at Logitech and McLaren. Race for the opportunity to score $100,000+ in cash and prizes and the chance to win a VIP race experience with McLaren. The Logitech McLaren G Challenge Qualifier #1 features the classic 1976 McLaren #11 Team McLaren M23 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Grand Prix Circuit. Set your quickest lap time and sign up at Discord.gg/LogitechG to confirm eligibility and qualify for prizes. Top 10 drivers per region qualify for grid races on March 1-2.
Buckle up for an intense new Legends vs Leaderboard Rivals event with Mobil 1! Get behind the wheel of the 1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex at Mobil 1 Presents Maple Valley – Short Circuit and try to set a faster lap than Tyler Reddick’s 00:54.305. Head to mobil1gaming.com to see Tyler set the lap and more.
VIP Members, show off your driving proficiency at Hockenheim – Full Circuit in the 1981 Ford #2 Zakspeed Racing Capri Turbo in the High Speed Hockenheim VIP Rivals.
In addition, new Drift Rivals are available during American Thunder Month. Slide into autumn with your favorite Formula Drift car and drift your way to the top of the leaderboard at Maple Valley. In the Open Class Drift, choose your favorite B Class Drift car or build your very own and bring it to dominate the drift leaderboard at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Short Circuit!
Check out the full schedule of Rivals events lighting up during the five-week American Thunder update period below:
| Rivals Event | Car | Track | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Featured Spec Division – NASCAR | 2024 Chevrolet NASCAR Next Gen Camaro ZL1 2024 Ford NASCAR Next Gen Mustang Dark Horse 2024 Toyota NASCAR Next Gen Camry XSE |
Grand Oak – National Circuit | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| VIP – High Speed Hockenheim | 1981 Ford #2 Zakspeed Racing Capri Turbo | Hockenheim – Full Circuit | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| Logitech McLaren G Challenge Qualifier #1 | 1976 McLaren #11 Team McLaren M23 | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Grand Prix Circuit | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| Race Mobil 1 Pro Driver – Tyler Reddick | 1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT | Maple Valley – Short Circuit | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| Open Class Drift – B Class | B Class + RWD + Tuning and Upgrades Allowed + No STM / TCS + ABS On/Off + Normal or Simulation Steering | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Short Circuit | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| Autumn Colors Drift | Formula Drift + RWD + Stock Upgrades + Tuning Allowed + No STM / TCS + ABS On/Off + Normal or Simulation Steering | Maple Valley | Nov. 6 - Dec. 11 |
| Spotlight – NASCAR Next-Gen | 2024 Chevrolet NASCAR Next Gen Camaro ZL1 2024 Ford NASCAR Next Gen Mustang Dark Horse 2024 Toyota NASCAR Next Gen Camry XSE |
Daytona International Speedway – Sports Car Circuit | Nov. 6 - Nov. 13 |
| Spotlight – Chevrolet | 1976 Chevrolet #76 Greenwood Corvette | Le Mans – Circuit International de la Sarthe – Old Mulsanne Circuit | Nov. 13 - Nov. 20 |
| Spotlight – Mazda | 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R | Sunset Peninsula – Full Circuit | Nov. 20 - Nov. 27 |
| Spotlight – Daytona Prototypes | 2015 Chevrolet #10 Konica Minolta Corvette Daytona Prototype 2015 Ford #02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley MK XXVI Daytona Prototype |
Road Atlanta | Nov. 27 - Dec. 4 |
| Spotlight – Merku | 1986 Merkur #11 MAC Tools XR4Ti | Brands Hatch | Dec. 4 - Dec. 11 |
GAME FIXES AND RELEASE NOTES
The content update is expected to start rolling out after 10 am PT on Monday, November 4.
If you experience any issues with the content update installation we recommend that you quit out of your game and restart your device. If this does not solve the issue please report it in FM Report New Issues. Any game crashing issues should be reported directly at Forza Support so the team can investigate your account.
:
