Formula Drift Driver Ryan Tuerck Takes on an Autonomous Race Car

Who is better, human or machine? Roborace’s DevBot takes on driver Ryan Tuerck.

Formula Drift Driver Ryan Tuerck Takes on an Autonomous Race Car
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The 2018 Formula Drift season is underway, and while Formula Drift driver Ryan Tuerck is particularly at home with his Ferrari V8 engine powered work of art, the GT-4586 drift car, he recently headed to Rome to race out of his element.

There, Tuerck not only drove on the Formula E Rome street circuit, but also took on the DevBot, a development test mule based on a Le Mans prototype race car. It's part of preparations for a Roborace series featuring self-driving race cars. 

The DevBot has the drivetrain and power of the future Robocars, plus a cockpit for a human, which future Robocars for the Roborace series will not have.

Hopping into the DevBot cockpit, Tuerck got a chance to test his skills. He went out and set some practice laps to get a feel for the car.

"Any mistake that you do, any corner that you brake too late, you're done," CEO of Roborace and defending Formula E Champion Lucas Di Grassi told Tuerck.

Tuerck then hopped out of the car to let it do its own thing: Take laps with its seat belts swaying and no human behind the wheel. 

Roborace | YouTube

I will not spoil who won the challenge Ryan Tuerck or the DevBot. Roborace's feature RYAN TUERCK: Pro Drifter vs Autonomous Car in Human + Machine Challenge is below.

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