On the day we announce that the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) will be making its debut on the Hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard in 2024, we thought it would be good to take a look at one of these autonomous racing cars in action.
All teams in IAC compete with a modified version of the Dallara IL-15 chassis currently used for the Indy NXT feeder series of IndyCar. It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four engine producing 450PS (336kW) with a recorded top speed of 192.2mph, which set the autonomous land speed record in 2022.
The cars run with numerous sensors, cameras and clever hardware to run entirely independently from any kind of human control, and the IAC has run competitions at Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Texas and, as we see here, Monza.
The results are pretty impressive. This car is able to complete a lap on Monza pretty much mistake free. It misses the odd apex here and there, but it keeps it clean with all four wheels remaining very much on the track throughout.
There’s clearly some margin for error programmed in here, because it’s not pushing the limit like you might expect a real racing driver to. Regardless, this is a real car, driving itself around a race track, which is extremely cool, and slightly unnerving.
The IAC is clear in its mission statement, too. This is not necessarily about creating a sporting spectacle, while there will no doubt be people interested from that perspective. This project is more about putting this tech into practice, solving problems, and growing awareness of just how these autonomous cars work.
Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: Learning to drive a Ford GT40 at Spa
Elevenses
Video
Onboard
Monza
Autonomous
IAC
Indy Autonomous Challenge
Race
Modern