The world's fastest autonomous racecar with an AI pilot coded by students from PoliMOVE-MSU team races on Goodwood Hill. Credit Indy Autonomous Challenge. (Photo: Business Wire)

Returning to showcase the World’s Fastest Autonomous Racecar, the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC), presented by Bridgestone, will take on the hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard from July 11th to July 14th, 2024. This year, the IAC’s AV-24 fully autonomous racecar will be piloted by software from the PoliMOVE-MSU team, with support from the UNIMORE Racing team.

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The IAC has developed the AV-24, a fully autonomous racecar utilizing a Dallara chassis used in the Indy NXT series, and outfitted with a state-of-the-art robotics platform developed with leading autonomous hardware and software providers. To date, the IAC has organized autonomous racing competitions gathering 10 teams comprised of 18 universities at prestigious venues such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Monza F1 Circuit—affectionately known as the Temple of Speed. The 2024 Festival of Speed marks the Indy Autonomous Challenge’s competitive debut in the UK, promising to test the technology in new and challenging ways.

Since its inception in 2021, the Indy Autonomous Challenge and its university teams have set several world records for high-speed ground-based autonomy:

• Autonomous land speed record of 192.2 mph
• Highest on-track speed of 180 mph
• Fastest head-to-head overtake on-track at 177 mph
• Most miles of autonomous racing accumulated: 9,000 miles.

Last year the Indy Autonomous Challenge was introduced to Goodwood in 2023 as part of Future Lab presented by Randox, illustrating the IAC’s significant role in advancing automotive driving technology through global events. Additionally, the Technical University of Munich used their autonomous racecar to conduct a low-speed scan of the Goodwood hill, crafting a digital twin of the course that will help enable this year’s fully autonomous hillclimb.

Paul Mitchell, Chairman and President of the Indy Autonomous Challenge, expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming event, stating, “We are eager to undertake the unique challenges presented by the Goodwood Hillclimb. Unlike the familiar ovals and F1 road courses, Goodwood’s Hillclimb will challenge the precision of sensor perception, GPS localization, vehicle dynamics, and path planning in new ways, providing a historical backdrop to showcase the future of high-speed autonomous mobility and the innovative university teams behind it.”

The event, part of Goodwood’s FOS TECH program, will highlight the latest in automotive technology and alternative fuels, integrating the Future Lab and STEM programs targeted at young people eager to participate in future robotics. IAC university teams’ capabilities will be showcased as they attempt an autonomous world record on the Goodwood hill. Autonomous racing will not only entertain but also offer insights and learnings towards the future of mobility, demonstrating how AI drivers will revolutionize vehicle safety and efficiency on public roads and within supply chains.

The Duke of Richmond, founder of the Festival of Speed, commented on the festival’s role in showcasing technological innovation: “This year, our new FOS TECH ethos will bring together our future technology and mobility content. Whether exploring Future Lab presented by Randox, Electric Avenue, or enjoying content on the Hill, visitors to the Festival of Speed can experience the work of groundbreaking innovators and their vision for tomorrow’s world.”

Sara Correa, Chief Marketing Officer for Bridgestone in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) added, “What really matters is working together to collaboratively develop and advance the future of mobility. Bridgestone is proud to partner with the IAC and its young engineers to test and improve autonomous technologies through opportunities like the Goodwood Hillclimb. Motorsports are the ultimate challenge, and the learnings we gather here can be applied to the sustainable solutions we develop for society and our customers.”

Participating teams: PoliMOVE-MSU - Comprised of members from Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Michigan State University (Michigan), with the support of UNIMORE Racing - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy)

The IAC’s appearance at Goodwood Festival of Speed will be the first time that an exhibitor has graduated from Future Lab to the Hillclimb. This year’s event will also feature engaging educational sessions, where attendees can explore future technologies such as autonomous vehicles, drones, robots, augmented and virtual reality, generative AI, sensor fusion, and the Internet of Things. These topics will be the focus of a Q&A session in collaboration with Durham University's solar-powered electric car team, which has also worked with Bridgestone to advance sustainable mobility.

Earlier in June, the IAC conducted a series of training sessions on the Goodwood Hillclimb, performing fully autonomous runs of the hill, reaching speeds greater than 177 kph (110mph). Video and photo footage of the training sessions and racecar livery renders dedicated to media use can be found here.