The
first
race
of
the
Abu
Dhabi
Autonomous
Racing
League
(A2RL)
took
place
on
the
Yas
Marina
Abu
Dhabi
Grand
Prix
Formula
1
track
today,
and
I’m
pleased
to
report
that
a
race
both
began
and
ended.
But
the
event
was
not
without
strife
—
far
from
it.
During
qualifying
time
trials,
the
driverless
Dallara
Super
Formula
racers
outfitted
with
cameras
and
software
seemed
to
struggle
mightily
to
complete
a
full
lap.
During
the
trials,
cars
randomly
juked:
Or
just
pulled
off
the
track
to
take
a
little
break:
You
get
well-acquainted
with
the
interstitial
music
during
these
highlights.
All
praise
to
the
patience
and
grace
of
the
announcers,
who
didn’t
sigh
once
that
I
heard.
Instead,
they
declared
things
like
that
these
cars
are
“pushing
the
boundaries
of
science.”
When
it
came
time
for
the
actual
race,
the
lead
racer,
Polimove,
spun
out
on
the
fourth
of
eight
laps.
The
second
car,
Tum,
passed
it
safely,
but
shortly
after
that,
the
event’s
officials
threw
up
a
yellow
flag.
And
since
these
are
good
AI
drivers
who
obey
the
rules,
the
two
behind
Polimove
stopped,
unwilling
to
pass
the
spun-out
yellow
car.
Racers
aren’t
supposed
to
pass
each
other
during
a
caution
lap,
you
see.
About
an
hour
after
the
first
lap
of
A2RL
began,
the
AI
racers
completed
their
eight-lap
race.
If
you
must
know,
Tum
won.
These
are
early
days
for
autonomous
racing,
and
surely
things
will
get
better
eventually
—
certainly,
they’ve
come
a
long
way
since
Roborace’s
first
full
circuit
in
2017.
I’m
looking
forward
to
the
day
they’re
as
good
as
human
racers
(if
that
ever
happens).
But
for
right
now,
we’re
very
much
still
in
the
“congratulate
baby
for
successfully
getting
most
of
its
food
into
its
mouth”
phase
of
self-driving
racers.
Original author: Wes Davis
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