“The supercomputers can
manage up to 24 trillion AI
operations every second, and all
in a case the size of a lunchbox”
Former VW designer Daniel
Simon’s CV also includes
some Hollywood work – he
designed the Lightcycle
from Tron: LegacyCARS
2 saying t hat t hey took inspiration f rom ga ming
and Hollywood when coming up with the formula.
“The world’s media has been claiming we are a
support series for Formula E,” says Cooke.
“I wa nt to be clea r, we a re not. We a re work ing in
partnership with Formula E to lease the circuits
from them. This means we can bring Roborace
to the same inner-city courses that make Formula E
so compelling. London, Berlin, Beijing, Paris to
name a few, without the costs involved in going at it
alone,” he adds.It’s clear from a conversation with Cooke that the
target audience for Roborace isn’t your typical
Formula 1 fan. All ages and sexes will be welcome,
while those not familiar with the smell of
high-octane petroleum and burning rubber can still
be entertained.
“Motorsport can be quite exclusive and anyone
not at the event can feel a bit left out. We will ensure
t hose watching on TV at home will have just as
much fun by challenging them to ‘code along’ with
every race,” he says. “The viewer will be the 11th
car on the grid – they can test their coding and
algorithm-cracking skills on their own laptops
and tablets.”
However, the risk with removing the driver from
a car is that you lose the stars and the characters
that make more traditional motor racing so
compelling. Justin Cooke isn’t so sure about this
claim; he sees it as a cha nce to level t he playing
field, and for fans to become loyal to the teams and
technology firms behind each vehicle.