Most of Driveclub's trophies are easy, especially those dedicated to the main part of the game, which happen to be the only ones required for the Platinum trophy. Almost all of them are a matter of time, and you will achieve them sooner or later just by racing normally.

There are only three that can prove difficult to achieve. "Contender" and "Unbeatable" are actually easier than they seem, as all you need is the complicity of a friend and a connection stable enough to send the necessary challenges (which will admittedly require Evolution to put the servers back in working shape, but in the meanwhile you can start getting ready the hardest task under the belt).

The one for which you'll have to inevitably rely on your skills is "Cleanup," that requires completing a 12 car race on the podium without getting any collision penalties. Considering that the AI is quite aggressive and competitive, and won't run itself into a wall to get out of your way, this could prove a little tricky for inexperienced drivers.

You can either start a single event on Maplewood 02 in Canada, or directly knock it off during the Rookie Cup event in the Tour. The challenge is doable on most circuit tracks (road tracks may be too narrow for many), but Maplewood is the track I fond easiest to complete cleanly, as its corners are very conducive to clean overtakes and there's very little braking involved in lapping around the course. The last turn is also a very easy banked corner on or after which you can overtake almost effortlessly if you're just a little careful (just remember ti step off the gas a bit at the very end to avoid overshooting the straight).

Unless you're doing it in the Tour mode, you can select two or three laps, depending on how confident you are. You should be able to be on top in lap two (one is a little tight when you're focusing or not bumping the AI), but with the kind of cars we're gonna use, once you get on top you have very little to worry about the opponents if you're even remotely proficient, so any additional lap is just a formality.

Select 11 opponents and everything else however you like. You can set the AI to rookie if you really need to, but even with the default semi-pro setting I assure you that it's absolutely doable.

Finally, pick a hot hatch car. My choice fell on the Audi A1 Quattro for its docility and handling, just a tad of slide that will help you around those easy corners, and a very good top speed. Besides, it's a Quattro. Classic. 

The choice of the hot hatch category is obvious. A slow race ensures more control, but there's also a more subtle reason. At that kind of speed simple trading paint lightly with other cars will not assign a collision penalty. It will null your clean sector bonuse, but as long as you don't get any collision penalties you'll get the trophy.  You can touch other cars as long as you're gentle, and with hot hatches being gentle is easy.

Once you start the race, be conservative. Especially if you've chosen three laps you have plenty time to reach a podium place, and you most likely will win the race (which is advisable, as racing ahead of everyone else makes avoiding collisions very easy).

Work your way up the rankings calmly, and if you see even the slightest risk of a collision, just let go of the gas for a moment (or brake if you're really coming in too hot), rally and retry. If you're overtaken, don't try to get your position back immediately, as racing side by side is very dangerous. Remember: if you're not sure if the gap for overtaking is wide enough, it probably isn't.

Your best bet in most turns is the "slow in, fast out" approach, selecting the best line to be able to accelerate as much as possible at the end, so don't be afraid to brake generously at the entrance of a corner when needed. If you overtake anyone during the corner, you want to speed away from possible bumps as quickly as possible, and coming out of corners fast will ensure give you a chance to overtake on the following straight, which is the safest bet.

A further trick is to take a line that actually puts two of your wheels on the grass on the inside of the corner. Maplewood 02 has plenty of room there, and you're driving a Quattro, so a bit of greenery won't give you the slightest problem. As long as the other two wheels are touching the asphalt, you won't be penalized for cutting the corner. The reason for that is not only the fact that in most cases it's an advantageous trajectory, but your opponents won't go there, reducing the risk of collisions further.

The last baked corner is great for overtaking, as the AI normally slows down excessively there. You can either stick to the inside and overtake during the turn (but you really need to be careful and mind your trajectory, as ramming an opponent is a real possibility), or simply let the turn slingshot you on the straight afterwards.

Below you can see a quick and dirty recording of a race without any collision penalties (done in tour mode), to give you an idea of the concepts mentioned aboves, of the lines you can take and of some good overtaking points. On a side note, this kind of run also gives you a lot of Fame due to the clean sector bonuses, so it's a great way to level up while learning to drive without playing flipper with the AI.

A final note before I leave you with the video: One last trophy which could prove somehow tricky for inexperienced racers could be "Tonnage," requiring you to drive a point to point race with an average speed over 100 MPH. Just drive your favorite hypercar in a relatively clean run of Taapaca in Chile, and you'll get it.

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