READY, SET… RACE!

Rev your AI engines for Abu Dhabi’s inaugural A2RL…

Firmly positioned as a home of exhilarating motorsports action, Abu Dhabi is set to welcome the arrival of an exciting new Autonomous Racing League, A2RL, this month. The inaugural race will bring a thrilling need for speed to the capital’s iconic Yas Marina Circuit on Saturday April 27. Touted as the largest autonomous racing league in the world, the A2RL will bring together cutting-edge technology and science-led sporting skills for a showcase of autonomous car races, drone races, and dune buggy races. With a cool prize pool of Dhs8.26 million, eight elite teams will descend on the UAE capital, with the finest in their fields set to battle it out at the inaugural event. The expert teams competing will come from: Beijing Institute of Technology and Khalifa University (China and UAE), Code19 Racing and Indiana University (USA), Constructor University (Switzerland & Singapore), Hungarian Mobility Development Agency (Hungary), Kinetiz & Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Technical University of Munich (Germany) and University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy). Heralding a new era of extreme sports and entertainment, the hybrid mix of virtual and real-life experiences will offer a glimpse into the future of AI and sports, and see competitors partake in a variety of gripping challenges as they race for victory. Each team will race their state-of-the-art autonomised Dallara Super Formula, SF23, racecar. But the major USP here will be that none of the racecars will have a driver. Instead, a team of highly skilled engineers, programmers, and scientists will be putting their algorithms to the ultimate test to become the first ever A2RL champion. So this isn’t just about speed, it’s about intelligent, strategic racing.