FORZA DRIFT EVENTS - RULEBOOK 2026

Forza Horizon 6 / Version 1.1

CAR REGULATIONS

1. DRIVETRAIN

• 1.1. Only RWD drivetrains are allowed.
• 1.2. AWD cars must be RWD swapped to be eligible for competition.
• 1.3. FWD cars are not allowed. (Even if swapped)
• 1.4. Mid- and Rear-engine cars are not eligible for competition.

Grassroots Series -regulations

2. REQUIRED UPGRADES

• 2.1. Drift Springs and Dampers
• 2.2. Race Front and Rear Anti-roll Bars
• 2.3. Race Brakes
• 2.4. Race Roll Cage
• 2.5. Sport Clutch
• 2.6. Sport Transmission
• 2.7. Sport Driveline
• 2.8. Drift Differential (You must simulate a locked differential by using values 100/100 on differential settings)

3. TIRES & WEIGHT

• 3.1. Minimum car weight is 2200 lbs / 1000 kg.
• 3.2. You are limited to a maximum of Sports -tier weight reduction on your selected car.
• 3.3. Permitted Tire Compounds:
• Stock Tire Compound

Please note that some cars come with different tire compounds by default. Eligible cars for grassroots competition are marked with an “#” sign on our “FDE_ELIGIBLE_VEHICLES” document.

• 3.4. Maximum tire size allowed is 265MM, cars that already come with 265MM or wider rear tires from factory remain eligible to compete using only their stock tire width in the rear. You are allowed to use any tire size below 265MM on your car if you so choose.

4. ENGINE & POWER

• 4.1. To be eligible for competition, cars are allowed to have a maximum of 500 HP. A ±10 HP margin is allowed, meaning the absolute limit is 510 HP.
• 4.2. You are limited to Sports -tier engine upgrades on your installed engine package.

For example: Sports Intake, Sports Fuel System, Sports Ignition, Sports Exhaust, Sports Camshaft, Sports Valves, Sports Displacement, Sports Pistons, Sports Turbo, Sports Intercooler, Sports Oil/Cooling, Sports Flywheel etc. This rule is intended to create a more realistic approach to engine modifications and performance upgrades.

PRO Series -regulations

5. REQUIRED UPGRADES

• 5.1. Drift Springs and Dampers
• 5.2. Race Front and Rear Anti-roll Bars
• 5.3. Race Brakes
• 5.4. Race Roll Cage
• 5.5. Race Clutch
• 5.6. 4 Speed Drift (Dogbox) Or 6 Speed Race (Sequential) Transmission
• 5.7. Race Driveline
• 5.8. Drift Differential (You must simulate a locked differential by using values 100/100 on differential settings)

6. TIRES & WEIGHT

• 6.1. Minimum car weight is 2200 lbs / 1000 kg.
• 6.2. Permitted Tire Compounds:
• Sport Tire Compound

Please note that some cars come with Sport tires by default. These cars are marked with an * sign on our “FDE_ELIGIBLE_VEHICLES” document.

• 6.3. Drivers must adhere to a weight-to-tire width chart:

For example: if your car weighs 3,000 lbs, the maximum allowed tire width is 305MM. However, you may use any tire size below your designated weight bracket.

7. ENGINE & POWER

• 7.1. To be eligible for competition, cars are allowed to have a maximum of 1300 HP. A ±10 HP margin is allowed, meaning the absolute limit is 1310 HP. This rule is intended to provide more flexibility and accessibility for engine upgrades and to prevent unrealistic and overpowered vehicles.

8. VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS, REGISTRATION & INSPECTION

• 8.1. Please refer to our “FDE_ELIGIBLE_VEHICLES” document.
• 8.2. To compete, drivers must register for the current season. Registration is done on our website. Mid-season registrations are permitted. Once registered, they are committed to their chosen car for the entirety of the season, but may adjust their specs and tuning setups between rounds. All cars are subject to random inspections at any given time.
• 8.3. Any driver caught cheating or using an unapproved/ineligible setup will be disqualified from the on-going round. Repeated violations will result in a ban for the remainder of the season.

9. LIVERY & PAINT

• 9.1. Offensive or inappropriate liveries are not allowed in the FDE series of competition.
• 9.2. All drivers competing must have an official FDE window banner and namecard with your name, nickname or gamertag in it along with your registered driver number and optionally your country flag. You can find these in the vinyl editor by using the share codes provided below:

Please note: due to varying window sizes, we’ll only provide a single version of the window banner, which fits the majority of the cars and can be scaled to fit your car of choice. If the pre-made banners won’t fit as desired, please go ahead and make your own using our official FDE logo!

Logo for custom made window banners (placement is at the upper section of the windscreen, middle of the window banner):

Pre-made window banners:

Namecards (placement is at the side of the front door on each side, just below the window):

Official Font for name and driver number is “UPPER LETTERS 1”

10. GAME SETTINGS

• 10.1. Traction Control: Off
• 10.2. Stability Control: Off
• 10.3. Launch Control: Recommended
• 10.4. Steering: Simulation
• 10.5. Shifting: Manual Or Manual W/ Clutch
• 10.6. Anti-Lock Braking: Off
• 10.7. Rewind is required for AFK:ing
• 10.8. Accessibility->Notification Duration: Minimum of 5 is recommended

11. COMPETITION RULES

GENERAL:

• 11.1. If a driver has three or more tires off the track during their run, the run will be disqualified, resulting in a 'Did Not Finish' (DNF).
• 11.2. Spin-outs or straightening without contact will be considered incomplete, leading to a 'Did Not Finish' (DNF).
• 11.3. Lightly scraping a wall or fence is allowed as long as it is not deemed a collision, meaning it does not impact your line, angle, or speed.
• 11.4. Drivers may request a restart if necessary, but it must be called before passing the restart marker on the track. To do so, the driver must stop or rewind their car before the marker. During Head-to-Head Battles, each driver is allowed one restart per battle.
• 11.5. Respect the judges' calls and decisions, or you will be disqualified. If you believe your run was severely misjudged, you may challenge the decision, but you must provide video evidence; otherwise, your request will be denied. The case will be reviewed immediately to keep the competition progressing. We strongly recommend all drivers record their runs.
• 11.6. Deceleration and momentum zones must be followed, as they are specific to each track.
• 11.7. Showboating or excessive bragging of any kind will result in disqualification.
• 11.8. Disrespect towards anyone will not be tolerated. All discussions must remain civil and respectful, failure to do so will lead to disqualification.
• 11.9. Player errors such as dead controller batteries, incorrect tuning, or stepping away (AFK) during a run will result in disqualification.
• 11.10. If severe connection issues occur during a run, the driver will be granted one re-run (chase or lead). However, if the same driver experiences visible connection issues again, they will unfortunately be disqualified.
• 11.11. If a desync issue causes inconsistencies that are not visible on all three connection points (both drivers and the official stream), a re-run will be granted if the issue results in an unfair advantage or disadvantage to either driver.
• 11.12. Drivers must be ready and proceed to the starting line as quickly as possible when called for their runs.
• 11.13. Drivers have a chance to get a 2 minute time out before they’re sent off the line. This is allowed only once per each round of competition. Failing to make it back to the line in-time will result in disqualification.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 11.14. Each driver gets two attempts to set a qualifying score, with only the highest score being counted for their final qualifying rank.
• 11.15. Every run is judged and scored by three different factors, in the following order: LINE, ANGLE and STYLE.
• 11.16. Drivers who set a completed run with a high enough score to make it to Top 32 or Top 16 will advance to Head-To-Head Battles.
• 11.17. If a driver fails to show up to the Head-To-Head Battles before it starts, they can be replaced in the bracket with other qualifiers who didn’t make it in initially due to a lower qualifying rank. We try to always prioritize having a full battle bracket and variety of drivers, instead of giving by-runs to drivers to keep the competition more interesting and challenging.
• 11.18. If you qualify, but something comes up and you can’t show up to the battles, please let the current event host know about it as soon as possible. This will give us the appropriate time to notify other drivers so we can fill the battle bracket.

HEAD-TO-HEAD BATTLES:

• 11.19. Lead driver must give a chaseable and as close to a 99 point run as possible.
• 11.20. Lead driver must not compromise line or angle to get away from the chase driver.
• 11.21. Chase driver must maintain as close proximity as possible to the lead driver.
• 11.22. Chase driver must mimic the lead driver's transitions and lines.
• 11.23. Chase driver must initiate simultaneously with the lead driver at the starting line upon receiving the 'GO' signal from the host. The lead driver is only allowed to accelerate after the third sound signal has ended. (See the terminology section below for more details.)
• 11.24. Chase driver must let the lead driver initiate the drift first and provide adequate space for the lead driver to do so within the “3-2-1 cones”. (See the terminology section below for more details.)
• 11.25. Chase drivers are not allowed to overtake the lead driver unless prompted by a crash or if the lead driver goes off course.
• 11.26. Chase driver must try to match or better the lead driver's angle.
• 11.27. Chase driver should make every effort to avoid excessive or overly aggressive contact with the lead driver.
• 11.28. In the event of a crash that causes straightening, spinning out, or going off course, our judges will review the incident to determine fault.
• 11.29. If a clear winner cannot be determined, the judges may call for a “One More Time” (OMT), requiring both drivers to repeat their battle. Multiple OMTs may be issued if necessary to decide the winner.

12. JUDGING (Order of Priority)

• 12.1. Line (Optimal line, zones, clipping points and transitions.)
• 12.2. Proximity (Consistency, execution, following lead line, car location, car angle etc.)
• 12.3. Angle (Consistency, transitions, smoothness.)
• 12.4. Style (Consistency, lack of mistakes, smoothness, fluidity etc.)
• 12.5. Mistakes (Tire drops, deceleration, adjustments, contact, over-rotating etc.)

13. SCORING SYSTEM (Qualifying)

• 13.1. Each run will be judged based on three different factors: LINE, ANGLE and STYLE via a point system from 0 - 33 points each, making the maximum total points obtainable to be 99 points from each qualifying run.
• 13.2. In the event of a qualifying tie between drivers, the higher position will be calculated by these factors, in this order: 1. Line Score, 2. Angle Score, 3. Style Score, 4. Current Rank/Season Standing, 5. Judges Discretion.

14. RANKING SYSTEM

• 14.1. Drivers will earn championship points based on their performance and ranking at the end of each round. The total standings for each driver will be determined at the end of the season.
• 14.2. Drivers must line up at the starting line during their battle to be eligible for championship points based on their current competition rank. If a driver does not show up for their battle, they will not receive the championship points from it.

Championship points are accumulated as follows:

• 14.3. Qualifying rank:

• 14.4. Competition rank:

15. BATTLE BRACKET

• 15.1. Once a driver advances to the Top 32 or Top 16 and enters Head-to-Head Battles, a battle bracket will be created for all drivers to follow.
• 15.2. The battle bracket consists of 16 or 8 drivers on each side, with placement determined by qualification rankings. If qualifications were not held, driver placement on the bracket will be randomized.
• 15.3. If an opponent fails to appear at the starting line when the battle begins, the other driver will be awarded a by-run and automatically advance in the bracket.
• 15.4. Visual example of the battle-brackets:

16. TERMINOLOGY

• 16.1. GO Sign = The host will initiate a countdown from 3 to 1 to signal the start of your run, typically through voice communication.
• 16.2. Restart Marker = Each track has a designated cone, line, or object that serves as the restart marker.
• 16.3. 3-2-1 Cones = A series of cones marking the restart point, the earliest possible initiation point, and the latest initiation point for drifting.

(This document may be updated at any given point. Please pay attention to our official channels of information for any updates on this document.)