A2RL Sets New International Benchmark with Europe’s First Five-Car Autonomous Race

The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) has set a new international benchmark with Europe's first five-car autonomous race, held at the Imola Circuit in Italy on September 5, 2026. Kinetiz from the UAE emerged victorious, completing 12 laps in the technically demanding circuit. This event, organized by ASPIRE and the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), marked A2RL's first international competition, following two seasons at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The race pitted five fully autonomous racecars against each other, including Kinetiz, Constructor Racing, PoliMOVE, Unimore, and TUM. Each team used the identical EAV-25 hardware, making the performance difference a matter of software in perception, planning, control, and real-time decision-making. The fastest lap was set by Unimore at 1 minute 40 seconds, but the car encountered a technical issue and had to return to the pit lane.

PoliMOVE, leading the race, collided with Unimore, ending both teams' races. Kinetiz maintained its lead to the finish line. H.E. Faisal al Bannai, Secretary General of ATRC, emphasized A2RL's role in testing advanced technology, while Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, highlighted the value of the race in advancing autonomous systems.

Kinetiz's Team Principle, Omar Hanif Alqassim, expressed pride in the team's achievement and its representation of the UAE. The race, which required autonomous systems to race wheel-to-wheel in challenging conditions, was made possible by A2RL's extensive simulation testing and provided valuable insights into reliability, resilience, and real-time decision-making.