Indy Autonomous Challenge set for Laguna Seca

The next edition of the Indy Autonomous Challenge will take place ahead of the NTT IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, July 25, where eight teams will take part in a time trial competition.

It will be the second time that the teams – made up of university teams from North America, Europe, and Asia – will compete on a road course, following a 2023 contest at Monza in Italy. Coincidentally, two other teams – TUM Autonomous Motorsport from Technische Universität München in Germany and UNIMORE Racing from Italy’s University of Modena and Reggio Emilia – will be absent from Laguna Seca as they take part in an exhibition race at the Italian track during the Milan Monza Motor Show from June 27-29.

“Running an autonomous race as part of the Grand Prix of Monterey, on the same track and the same weekend as an NTT IndyCar Series event, is a powerful testament to how far the IAC and our university teams have advanced the field of AI and autonomy,” said Paul Mitchell, CEO of Indy Autonomous Challenge and its parent company Aidoptation BV. “Bringing this race and AI summit to the doorstep of Silicon Valley creates a high-impact moment to showcase the world’s fastest race cars to industry leaders in AI and robotics.”

With previous editions of the IAC taking place at Indianapolis, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, as well as at Monza, this year’s contest at Laguna Seca will bring about a whole new set of challenges for the teams and their AI software to get to grips with, including Laguna Seca’s undulations, range of corner types, and the famed Corkscrew.

“Laguna Seca has a long history of supporting technology and innovation, and we are thrilled to welcome the world’s fastest autonomous race cars to the Grand Prix of Monterey,” said Mel Harder, president and general manager, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “We are excited to host IAC and its global network of university and industry partners to explore piloting their SMART Track technologies and how they can enhance safety and fan engagement.”

As well as the autonomous race event, IAC will host an AI and Automation Summit at Laguna Seca on the morning of July 24, bringing together leading experts, innovators, and policymakers from Silicon Valley, and government leaders from the US (state and federal), Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, to discuss the future of AI and robotics.

The eight IAC university teams that will participate in the IAC race during the Grand Prix of Monterey weekend include:

AI Racing Tech - University of California, Berkeley (California), with University of Hawai'i (Hawai’i), University of California, San Diego (California

Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania)

Autonomous Tiger Racing - Auburn University (Alabama)

CAST Racer - California Institute of Technology (California)

Cavalier Autonomous Racing - University of Virginia (Virginia)

IU Luddy - Indiana University (Indiana)

KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (South Korea)

PoliMOVE-MSU - Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Michigan State University (Michigan), 

University of Alabama (Alabama)

Purdue AI Racing - Purdue University (Indiana)

For more information: www.racer.com

For more Industry News, please Click Here