---
title: "Race Car Breaks Driverless Speed Record at 192 MPH"
description: "An Indy Autonomous Challenge team claims to have set the land speed record for a driverless car by sending a modified Indy Lights Dallara down the runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center."
date: "2022-04-30"
modified: "2022-04-30"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy.md"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/race-car-breaks-driverless-speed-record-at-192-mph"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "News"
  - "Self-Driving Tech"
tags:
  - "driverless cars"
  - "Indy"
  - "racing"
---

# Race Car Breaks Driverless Speed Record at 192 MPH

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/29/279351468_126666543301683_6194908486850061511_n-1.jpg>)
*Instagram | @polimoveracingteam*

An Indy Autonomous Challenge team claims to have set the land speed record for a driverless car by sending [a modified Indy Lights Dallara](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/38656/heres-our-first-look-at-the-autonomous-indy-lights-cars-that-will-race-for-1m.md>) down the runway at [NASA](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/oxcart-assemblys-nasa-crew-transport-concept-was-too-glorious-to-live.md>)'s Kennedy Space Center.

The car used, a Dallara AV-21—based on the current Indy Lights Dallara IL-15—was prepared by PoliMOVE, a team formed by technical colleges Politecnico di Milano and the University of Alabama. Using an engine 30 percent more powerful than previously equipped to the car (its output was not specified), the car is said to have exceeded the 175.41 mph clocked by a [Roborace](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/37366/why-that-autonomous-race-car-crashed-straight-into-a-wall.md>) vehicle in September 2019, achieving a top speed of 192.2 mph.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXE-rP2FkeU

It's unclear at this time whether the speed has been independently verified, though dispute seems unlikely as it's not like there are many people out contesting driverless speed records. That of course is because interest in autonomous racing is tough to kindle, as the human story takes place entirely off-track, whereas the spectacle of motorsport occurs on the opposite side of the pit wall.

Additionally, this accomplishment's link to the Indy Autonomous Challenge's stated goal of expediting vehicular autonomy is at best tenuous—it's not clear how making a car do 192 mph in a straight line helps develop such technologies. It's not a situation cars, autonomous or otherwise, tend to find themselves in outside racetracks, whether in commercial or passenger applications. In the end, the real value in PoliMOVE's driverless speed record is the same as that as all speed records: *To just send it*. And we can all applaud that.

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)

## More

- [Here’s Our First Look at the Autonomous Indy Lights Cars That Will Race for $1M](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/38656/heres-our-first-look-at-the-autonomous-indy-lights-cars-that-will-race-for-1m.md>)
- [Autonomous Open-Wheelers Will Race at Indianapolis Next Year for a $1 Million Prize](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/33793/autonomous-open-wheelers-will-race-at-indianapolis-next-year-for-a-1-million-prize.md>)
- [Poll: Majority Worried About Sharing Road With Driverless Cars](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/17621/poll-majority-worried-about-sharing-road-with-driverless-cars.md>)
- [Autonomophobia: How to Curb Public Fear of the Driverless Car](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/8521/autonomophobia-how-to-curb-public-fear-of-the-driverless-car.md>)
- [Self-Driving Car Startup Optimus Ride Gets $18 Million for the Race to a Driverless Road](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/15687/self-driving-car-startup-optimus-ride-gets-18-million-for-the-race-to-a-driverless-road.md>)
- [JR Hildebrand Will Race a 2021 Indy Car Up the Pikes Peak Hill Climb This Year](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/39274/jr-hildebrand-will-race-a-2021-indy-car-up-the-pikes-peak-hill-climb-this-year.md>)
- [DragonSpeed Announces Limited IndyCar Program for 2019 Season](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/25543/dragonspeed-announces-limited-indycar-program-for-2019-season.md>)
- [IndyCar Needed a New Racer for Many Reasons. Breaking Track Records Is One of Them](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/indycar-needed-a-new-racer-for-many-reasons-breaking-track-records-is-one-of-them.md>)