INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR THE INDY ROBOT RACING TEAMIndiana Continues Its Automotive and Racing LegacyINDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 22, 2005) -- The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the greatest spectacle in racing, announced today their support for the Indy Robot Racing Team. The Indy Robot Racing Team, presented by Indiana University, developed an autonomous ground vehicle capable of maneuvering without human control. Indiana's Robotic Vehicle (IRV) is competing in the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, a 150-mile race across the Mojave Desert.
"Since the early 20th century, Indiana has served as the proving grounds for innovation in automotive technology," stated Joie Chitwood, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and chief operating officer. "We are pleased to announce our support of the Indy Robot Racing Team and wish them luck as they bring home the checkered flag on race day."
IRV, the offspring of the Indy Robot Racing Team, is a 2005 Jeep Rubicon. The vehicle is designed to run autonomously through a combination of LIDAR and RADAR sensors, structural light detectors, mounted road-following cameras and a drive-by-wire system.
"Today's endorsement is a testament to Indiana's great engineering and automotive history," stated Scott Jones, co-team leader of the Indy Robot Racing Team. "Indiana, home of the Indianapolis 500®, The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard®, and the United States Grand PrixT, is where the automotive industry began and where the future of the automobile will unfold," concluded Jones.
DARPA Grand Challenge 2005 is a field test of autonomous ground vehicles for the purpose of advancing autonomous vehicle technology. The vehicles must travel approximately 150 miles over rugged desert roads using only onboard sensors and navigation equipment to find and follow the route and avoid obstacles. The Grand Challenge National Qualification Event will take place from September 28 to October 6. Twenty teams will advance to the Grand Challenge to be held on October 8. DARPA will award $2 million to the team whose autonomous vehicle successfully completes the 2005 route the fastest within a 10-hour time period.
About the Indy Robot Racing Team
The Indy Robot Racing Team, headquartered in Carmel, Ind., is comprised of engineers, software developers and marketing professionals from across the state. The team's mission is to build the world's first fully autonomous vehicle and to create a new high-tech enterprise in Indiana.
For more information contact:
Joy Fischer, Indy Robot Racing Team
joy@blue-fisch.com or 317-514-6000
or Josh Laycock, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
jlaycock@brickyard.com or 317-492-6567
For more information on the Indy Robot Racing Team, visit:
www.indyrobotracing.com.
For more information on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, visit:
www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. 
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