Forza Horizon 6 players are making friends just to avoid racing infamous Bowie Knife99 AI

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A particularly skilled AI opponent, nicknamed a ‘Drivatar,’ is dominating races in Forza Horizon 6. This has become a popular topic online, and players are now actively adding friends to their game in hopes of dodging this tough competitor.

If you’ve played Forza Horizon 6, you probably know the player Bowie Knife99. They’re famous – and often victorious – for driving a very fast car, and many players have lost races to them, either by being overtaken, run off the track, or simply beaten in a drag race, often while driving a surprisingly powerful Peel P50.

Bowie Knife99 is a popular AI in Japan that’s gained a bit of a reputation. It’s become so well-known that fans are going to great lengths to avoid competing against it, and there’s a lot of funny video footage circulating of its playful antics.

Bowie Knife99 goes viral as fans try everything to avoid racing against them

Soon after the game launched in early access, players started saying the AI opponents were too difficult. If you’re not racing against other people online, you’ll be competing against AI-controlled racers, called Drivatars, that are meant to provide a tough but fair challenge.

But Bowie Knife99, a particularly aggressive opponent, really takes things to the extreme. They’ll push you off the road, make you spin out, drive much faster than you, and consistently win using clearly superior cars.

Okay, so this might sound weird, but the AI in this game is so bad at racing – like, hilariously, frustratingly bad – that my first instinct isn’t to beat it, it’s to desperately team up with other players just to get it out of the way! It’s a brilliant design choice, honestly. It’s making me make friends just to avoid a terrible driver – that’s kinda genius.

— atago ♥️🤍 (@Atago_Is_Here) May 23, 2026

Ever since the incident, fans have flooded social media with memes and videos of the problematic player, known as Drivatar. Even the official XBOX account chimed in, playfully acknowledging the situation with a post saying, “Happy Bank Holiday Monday to everyone except bowie knife99.” One fan went so far as to create a dedicated X page for ‘bowie knife99’, playfully referencing the sound of tire squeals with the line, “I love the smell of burnt out tires in the morning.”

I have no idea who you are or what you’re after. I don’t have any money, but I do have a very specific skillset. I’ve developed these skills over many years, and they make me a serious threat to you. I’ll track you down, and I’m going to destroy you.

Man, it really stung seeing Bowie Knife99 smoke me in a race, and get this – he did it in a Peel P50! A P50! It was already embarrassing to lose, but getting beaten by that little car? Seriously, the ultimate humiliation.

I was so sure I was going to win the race, but then the camera caught me getting beaten by a tricycle! 😩😩😩😩😩

— Parm (New Straw Hat Member) (@parmderp) May 23, 2026

The situation has become so frustrating that players are deliberately adding friends to the game. Since most opponents are based on your friends list, having more friends reduces the chance of encountering a particularly troublesome racer like Bowie Knife99.

The game developers are planning to adjust the AI drivers to be less aggressive, which could make the particularly skilled ‘Bowie Knife99’ AI a bit easier to beat. It remains to be seen if this will fix the issues some players have with these AI opponents being unpredictable and causing crashes.

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2026-05-25 15:19