From Simulation to Speedway: Virtual Qualification Debuts in Autonomous Racing

For the first time, autonomous racing teams must demonstrate their race readiness in a dSPACE simulation environment before competing on the track.

 

Paderborn, Germany / Indianapolis, USA, September 1, 2026 – The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) and dSPACE have introduced a new virtual qualification process in autonomous racing. This is the first time that participating teams have been required to qualify for an autonomous race within a virtual testing environment before being allowed to compete on a physical track.

Using a comprehensive dSPACE software-in-the-loop (SIL) tool chain consisting of the simulation platform VEOS, the vehicle and environment simulation ASM, and the sensor simulation AURELION, teams validated vehicle behavior, race strategy, and overtaking performance in a realistic digital twin of Laguna Seca raceway. The virtual qualification was especially challenging because Laguna Seca raceway is known for its significant elevation changes, blind crests, and technically demanding corners. These characteristics present unique challenges in terms of autonomous vehicle control, path planning, and decision-making.

In the SIL simulator, teams encountered many situations similar to those they will encounter during the real event. Basic qualification scenarios included the following:
• Safe navigation of the complete race circuit
• Recognition and correct response to race flags
• Returning to the pit lane when instructed
• Handling telemetry interruptions and communication loss
• Maintaining safe vehicle behavior under all conditions

In addition, teams were required to demonstrate advanced autonomous racing capabilities. These included:
• Multicar racing scenarios
• Interactions between competing vehicles
• Autonomous overtaking maneuvers
• Attacker-versus-defender race situations
• Safe decision-making in dynamic traffic situations

To qualify for the event, teams had to successfully complete extensive testing and demonstrate reliable vehicle behavior in all required scenarios. During the qualification process, more than 500 autonomous overtaking maneuvers were executed and validated, helping teams demonstrate safe interaction and decision-making in competitive multivehicle scenarios. After completing the virtual qualification process, all participating teams qualified for the Laguna Seca race event which will take place on September 3. 

Janam Sanghavi, Director of Vehicle Engineering at Indy Autonomous Challenge, comments on the new qualification mode: “For the upcoming race, teams will be required to qualify in the dSPACE simulation environment before competing on the track. This is the first time the Indy Autonomous Challenge has brought its established competition ruleset for overtaking maneuvers to Laguna Seca, a circuit known for its significant elevation changes and challenging vehicle dynamics. The dSPACE simulator enables teams to safely and effectively stress-test their multicar path planning and decision-making systems before operating in this highly challenging environment.”

Robin Heveling, Project Lead for the IAC simulation solution from dSPACE adds: “We are proud to support Indy Autonomous Challenge teams by providing a realistic virtual testing environment for race preparation and qualification. Our simulation environment enables teams to validate race behavior, vehicle interactions, and overtaking strategies before taking to the track. Bringing critical testing into the virtual domain allows teams to work faster, reduce risk, and make more effective use of limited track time. We are pleased to work with the teams to advance autonomous racing technology. We wish all teams a successful race at Laguna Seca.”

The introduction of virtual qualification marks another step toward making autonomous racing safer, more scalable, and more accessible by shifting critical validation activities from the racetrack into simulation.