Face of Roborace

Lucas di Grassi wants close racing, with driver or without

MOTORSPORT is facing an uncertain future. The support of manufacturers and sponsors who have traditionally propped up the multi-billion dollar industry is beginning to waver, while viewer habits are becoming increasingly fragmented in an ever-changing media landscape. Then there are traditionalist followers who feel put out by a shift towards ‘green conscious’ regulations.

But there may be an unlikely saviour – Lucas di Grassi.

Racing drivers aren’t traditionally well equipped to solve the multi-faceted existential problems facing motorsport, immense talent behind the wheel notwithstanding. But Lucas di Grassi isn’t a normal racing driver. A member of the famous high-iq society Mensa and with a with plans for a debut as early as late-2018. ‘Season Alpha’, as Roborace calls it, won’t be completely autonomous, with di Grassi revealing to Wheels that autonomous vehicles will initially race alongside human drivers. As of writing, Roborace itself is the sole entrant in the series, but di racing. He’s a fervent believer that Formula E and Roborace allows motorsport’s long-standing pinnacle – Formula 1 – to return to a purer set of rules to maximise the visceral spectacle, not break new technical ground.

So what motivates a man to lead a venture, which, if Google joining motorsport?” he asks rhetorically. “In Roborace! Where could you imagine Uber, or even Amazon? The only category that we think would be relevant to these companies is one which mixes artificial intelligence and deep learning with human skills. That is what we are trying to do with Roborace.”

Central to motor racing’s ability to enthral crowds has been the gladiatorial spectacle of human drivers piloting fearsome mechanical beasts,. However Roborace sees greater potential in attracting E-sport online viewers rather than flag-waving punters at a circuit.

Then there’s the scope for theoretically limitless testing, something di Grassi is hoping to use to his advantage.