The event was held on Thursday, September 3, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Have you ever seen real Indy Cars racing anywhere with NO DRIVERS, but only with AI?  I didn’t think so.  On September 3^rd at Laguna Seca there will be just the 2^nd Indy Autonomous Challenge where 10 Universities from all over the world will compete for the best AI driven Indy Cars.

 Admission is free for this.  It is not advertised to the general public. You can shoot photos without credentials.  You are allowed to use long lenses and big cameras.   The race is between 1 and 4 pm and is mostly time trials (one car at a time – fastest lap time wins). 

There are some great videos of last year’s competition available on YouTube:

Home Page of the Competition 

Three Hour Live Stream Recording of Last Year's Challenge

2.5 minute Video of Purdue's Indy Car and Team

2 minute clip of Purdue's Lap and 2nd place finish last year