Who needs drivers? Robo-racers and drone cars show us how it’s done at Goodwood Festival of Speed
A mecca of car racing, the Goodwood Festival of Speed – an annual hill climb known for featuring historic motor racing vehicles held in the grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex, England – brought motorheads together last month.
This year’s event saw French racing driver Romain Dumas complete the 1.6 mile (2.5km) course in a record time of 39.9 seconds in a prototype electric Volkswagen ID R racing car.
Dumas was also the winner of last year’s event in the same car.
French driver claims record on his return
The Volkswagen ID R, which made its racing debut only last year at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs, in the United States, recorded two fast times at this year’s four-day Goodwood event.
On his first run, Dumas powered the vehicle over the winding uphill course to finish in 41.19 seconds. Two days later, he broke the old record of 41.6 seconds, which had been set by German racing driver Nick Heidfeld in the McLaren MP4/13 in 1999.
How Christian von Koenigsegg created a 300mph hypercar
Yet who needs drivers?
This year’s event also organised its first official autonomous timed run, which saw the award for the fastest autonomous car won by DevBot 2.0, which has been developed by Roborace as a bespoke racing platform.
The car, which also has room for a driver in the cockpit, has been designed to be driven either by the driver or by itself, when required. It uses a hi-tech artificial intelligence programme and a series of sensors, which can be adjusted to suit each race. The AI sensors enable the vehicle to view, judge, orient and react according to live situations.
YouTube influencer and car enthusiast Seb Delanney was at the controls to kick off the drive of the DevBot 2.0, but he stopped the car halfway up the hill course in front of an excited cheering crowd of people so they could take photographs.
“Great job dude, you can jump out,” the car’s AI announced, and Delanney climbed out to allow the autonomous vehicle to complete the course perfectly by itself – slowing down on the bends and accelerating rapidly on the straight sections.
‘Any kid’s dream’
Another car got a great deal of attention – because all of its windows were covered over with a striking pattern of black and white paint.
The S Drone, produced by Samsung, the South Korean technology giant, was controlled remotely via the Vodafone 5G network, with a series of 5G smartphones fixed to the roof of the vehicle serving as its “eyes” as the driver, wearing a virtual reality headset, was seated miles away from the car in an off-site driving station.
[Samsung’s S Drone is] any kid’s dream. It’s like driving in a video game, but with real consequences and a real car on the other side
The driving station was equipped with wheels and foot pedals and three monitors that show the real-time road situation captured by the 5G smartphone cameras.
The latest high-speed 5G network ensured the car made smooth, immediately responsive manoeuvres with any hiccups.
“It’s any kid’s dream,” says American drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jnr, who tested the S Drone. “It’s like driving in a video game, but with real consequences and a real car on the other side.”
Old meets new …
Despite the futuristic innovations unveiled on the Goodwood course, the festival continues to feature numerous historic and vintage motor cars.
The annual hill climb race, showcasing vehicles from different eras, was launched by Freddie March, the grandfather of the present Duke of Richmond and Gordon, in 1936 on a private road within the grounds of Goodwood House, situated on a 12,000-acre (4,900-hectare) estate in West Sussex.
Which are the 30 safest cars on the road in 2019?
This year’s event also included new additions to the traditional attractions, with the Arena dedicated to four-wheeled drifting cars. Alongside the paddock, the FOS future lab showcased the latest technology, including robotics, computing simulation and aviation.
Can Samsung's Galaxy Note beat the crowd?
Outside Goodwood House, a sculpture was erected to commemorate Aston Martin, which raced for the first time at Goodwood 70 years ago.
This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the luxury car brand claiming the top two spots in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race, held annually in France.
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter
French racing driver’s Volkswagen ID R smashes 20-year mark at event’s hill course as Samsung’s remote-controlled S Drone and Roborace’ self-driving DevBot 2.0 unveiled
