Ricardo Performance Products to supply transmissions for the inaugural Indy Autonomous Challenge

Leveraging Ricardo’s multiple world-championship winning expertise in motorsport, Dallara AV-21 racecars will feature Ricardo transmissions as they compete in the world’s first head-to-head, high-speed autonomous race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
As the trusted engineering partner for world-championship winning and world-record breaking motorsport teams for over 40 years, Ricardo Performance Products has today announced it will be supplying the transmissions to Dallara for the inaugural Indy Autonomous Challenge.
 
Building on the longstanding relationship with Dallara, Ricardo has been selected to supply the bespoke transmissions for the Dallara AV-21 racecars which will race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on 23 October 2021. The transmissions will be designed and manufactured by the specialist engineers and niche manufacturing team at Ricardo’s Midlands Technical Centre in Leamington Spa.
 
Martin Starkey, Managing Director of Ricardo Performance Products said: “Ricardo and Dallara have a long and trusted history together for over 20 years and in that time it has been our honour to support numerous top tier Dallara chassis. Winning this order to supply Dallara for the inaugural Indy Autonomous Challenge is a mark not only of the high quality and high performance of our transmissions, but also our ability to help demonstrate the power of innovative technology in helping to make a world fit for the future.”
 
Organized by Energy Systems Network (ESN) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy Autonomous Challenge seeks to increase public awareness of the transformational impact that automation can have on society, particularly improving road safety, and reducing vehicular energy consumption to help reduce climate change.
 
It will bring together public, private and academic institutions to challenge university students around the world to imagine, invent and prove a new generation of automated vehicle software and inspire the next generation of STEM-talent. Participants will be challenged to programme a Dallara AV-21 racecar to out-race and out-manoeuvre fellow innovators in a race at the world-famous Indianapolis race track for the chance of winning prize money of US$1 million.