On October 20, the Z1 China Autonomous Driving Car Summit Race kicked off at the Zhuzhou International Circuit in Hunan province. The event featured the “Tian Yuan” autonomous racing system facing off against renowned British racer Robert Huff and China’s rising star in motorsports, Ma Jianxin. In a stunning display, Ma Jianxin claimed victory with a remarkable 17-second lead.
The Z1 summit race showcased a head-to-head competition, with “Tian Yuan” taking on both human drivers in a thrilling format. During the first round against Ma Jianxin, the autonomous system set impressive new records. However, mechanical issues arose during the sixth lap, leading to the loss of the lap counter and a suspension of the race. As a result, Robert Huff, who was in his initial warm-up lap, did not clock any lap time. Ultimately, “Tian Yuan” recorded a time of 2 minutes and 33 seconds, while Ma Jianxin achieved a time of 2 minutes and 16 seconds.
The “Tian Yuan” system has been developed independently by Gao Sen Qindong (Zhuzhou) Sports Culture Development Co., Ltd. It incorporates cutting-edge technologies such as BeiDou navigation, artificial intelligence, machine vision, and automatic control. Within the “Tian Yuan” system, BeiDou navigation technology plays a crucial role in providing the autonomous racing car with positioning information crucial for high-speed maneuvering, path planning, obstacle avoidance, and speed regulation.
To accelerate the development of intelligent driving technology, Zhuzhou constructed the Z1 China Autonomous Driving Car Summit Race centered around the “Tian Yuan” system. This competition emphasizes fully automated races on a professional track, aiming to demonstrate and test the capabilities of autonomous driving technology under high-speed racing conditions, including real-time feedback, adaptability, and the integrity of competition strategies.
Initially unveiled on September 28 with a lap time of 3 minutes and 14 seconds, “Tian Yuan” made significant strides at the recent Z1 event, shaving nearly a minute off its original time.
Ma Jianxin remarked, “To achieve such impressive results in under a month is astounding, especially considering it took me five to six years to reach my current level.” She firmly believes that autonomous driving technology will unlock vast potential for both the racing industry and the automotive sector as a whole.
Robert Huff expressed his enthusiasm for competing against “Tian Yuan,” stating that he would be willing to share his data with the system to aid its learning process and help it break new ground in future races. He looks forward to facing off against it again.
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