After years of development, the A2RL will hold its first race at Abu Dhabi's legendary Yas Marina circuit. On April 27, A2RL hopes to introduce a new type of motorsport, but also kick off a new wave of autonomous technology development.
A2RL brought together teams of engineers, scientists and even former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat to turn a cutting-edge race car into something with a mind of its own. The teams, from the United Arab Emirates, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Singapore and the United States, all have the same car to start: a Dallara-built chassis, powered by a 550-hp 2.0-liter Honda turbo engine connected to a six-speed gearbox. It is a modified version of the nearly 300km/h cars featured in Japanese Super Formula, now called EVA24, which serves as the basis for the eight teams to build on.
Instead of a human driver in the cockpit, AR2L cars are equipped with a wide range of technologies: GPS, cameras, sensors, computers and much more at the heart of the car. This technology, and its programming, will decide who will stand on the top step of the podium and will allow spectators to see up close what happens during the race, thanks to the 360-degree view from the cockpit. If you've always wanted to know what it feels like to be in the heart of a race, the A2RL will let you do it.
The first A2RL race includes two events. The first will be revealing: AI versus humans. Daniil Kvyat will go head-to-head with an A2RL car to see if man or machine is the fastest. Next, the main event will kick off a new kind of motorsport: after years of testing, simulations, shattered carbon fibers and thousands of liters of coffee, on April 27 eight teams will compete in a series of races and challenges to win a prize pool of $2.25 million and see who has made the biggest breakthrough in autonomous driving technology. So far no more than two autonomous cars have raced together: the A2RL final will see four of them take to the track for the first time in history.
A racing event wouldn't be the same without a Fanzone. On site, starting from 5pm, the Fanzone will be open to everyone. Here visitors will be able to enjoy karts, Gran Turismo race simulations, R/C cars, food trucks, an immersive artificial intelligence museum and much more. There will also be the final of the A2RL STEM competition, an event for younger racing enthusiasts who will use their coding knowledge to demonstrate what they can do with 1:8 scale A2RLs.
The reason for A2RL? Security, collaboration and the advancement of technology. Motorsports has always driven the development of technology, and when it comes to autonomy, it's time for racing cars to step up again.
The ASPIRE group, the pillar for the technological transition ofAdvanced Technology Research Council of Abu Dhabi, challenged the teams to create a car capable of racing and winning without human intervention. On the track, once started, the cars will be completely autonomous in completing the race. The only way a human can change the course is to stop it remotely: there is no pilot hidden in a capsule behind the scenes, it's all thanks to the technology.
The objective is twofold. First, give a good show to the fans. After all, more motorsports is always a good thing. The second is to develop technology that can be used in cars of the future. Lessons learned will be transferable and will feed into advanced safety systems that keep drivers safe on the road, possibly leading to cars that can drive themselves.
The A2RL is not brand new, but the beginning of a multi-year commitment to developing the future of safety technology, which will be extremely fun to watch.
Look stream the race here or go up a2rl.io for more information.
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