A2RL Autonomous Racing Championship Launches in Abu Dhabi

There’s a new breed of motorsport coming, and the only human involvement is far away from the cars. The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) is exactly what it sounds like: autonomous racing in front of a 10,000-strong crowd at the Yas Marina Circuit, and streamed live online.

After years of development, A2RL is finally ready to hold its first race at Abu Dhabi’s legendary Yas Marina circuit. On April 27th, A2RL hopes to change the way we look not only at motorsport, but at autonomous driving for good.

A2RL has brought teams of engineers, scientists, and even former Formula One racer Daniil Kvyat together to turn a cutting-edge race car into something with a mind of its own. The teams, hailing from UAE, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States, each have the same car to start: A Dallara-built chassis, powered by a 550-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged Honda-based engine linked to a six-speed gearbox. A modified take on the 185 mph cars found in Japan’s Super Formula—now called EVA24—serve as a basis for the eight teams to build upon.

Where you’d normally find a driver coated in fireproof gear and a sturdy helmet, AR2L cars have vast swathes of tech: GPS, cameras, sensors, computers, you name it. That tech, and how well it’s been programmed, is the difference between victory and defeat. All those cameras will allow spectators to get an up-close view of what’s going on in the race, too, as they offer 360-degree views from the cockpit.

The first-ever A2RL race comprises two events. Daniil Kvyat will be facing off against an entirely AI car to see whether man or machine is the fastest. Later, the main event will start: eight teams, after years of testing, simulations, shattered carbon fiber, and who knows how many gallons of coffee, will compete head-to-head to see who’s made the biggest leap in autonomous driving technology.

From there, the competition really begins: on Saturday, April 27th there’ll be a series of races and challenges pitting driver-free cars against each other. The final race will see four cars racing together—a world first—competing for a $2.25 million prize pot.

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