The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC), a global university competition advancing autonomous technologies through high-speed racing, has once again made history. (See video below.)
For the first time ever, an autonomous vehicle has set a track record faster than one achieved by a human driver.
The milestone was achieved at Italy’s Autodromo di Modena, where an IAC AV-24 racecar, engineered by IAC and piloted by AI driving software from Unimore Racing, surpassed the previous lap record held by a Lamborghini Huracán STO. Watch the full video of this record-breaking autonomous lap here.
The new record was set during the final day of Motor Valley Fest, an annual event celebrating the past and future of Italy’s most iconic automotive region, home to Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, and other global racing legends, with more than 70,000 attendees for the 2025 edition.
In front of a cheering public crowd, the AV-24 completed its lap in 58.3 seconds, besting the previous record of 59.3 seconds set in 2022 by the Huracán on the short layout of the Modena racetrack.
Unimore Racing, composed of students and researchers from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, is one of 10 university teams from around the world competing in the Indy Autonomous Challenge.
The team also finished first at the IAC’s first multi-car autonomous exhibition race held in January 2025 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during CES 2025. With strong local roots, they relished the opportunity to showcase their high-speed AI performance in front of a hometown crowd.
From a mechanical standpoint, the AV-24 is not optimized for peak racing performance on a road course, it features a spec Dallara chassis, limited aerodynamic enhancements, and modest power compared to the supercar-grade Huracán.
Despite this, the AI-piloted AV-24 prevailed, and IAC and the Unimore team are confident they can go even faster.
Ayoub Raji, co-lead of team Unimore Racing, says: “With fresh tires alone, we could’ve cut the time by another couple of seconds.
“And with a road-course aero kit, we can go even faster. We were also eyeing the full-layout track record of 1:08.5, set by a lightweight FX3-series formula car. That was within reach too, we just ran out of time. Hopefully we’ll be back.”
Professor Marko Bertogna, team principal of team Unimore Racing and full professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, says: “Morevec’s paradox states that everything that is easy for humans is difficult to automate, and vice versa. In many tasks, AI has already surpassed humans, while in others, we are still far away, especially in the robotics domain.
“To date, no one has demonstrated the superiority of AI in the racing field. The record we achieved together with the Indy Autonomous Challenge is a step in this direction. It makes us proud to have achieved it in the very heart of the Motor Valley.”
Paul Mitchell, president of Indy Autonomous Challenge and Aidoptation, says: “This milestone shows how far our autonomous systems have come in a short time, thanks to the ingenuity of our university teams and the power of collaboration.
“Our goal has never been to compete with human drivers, but to push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI behind the wheel. Achievements like this demonstrate the potential of autonomy in complex, high-speed environments, and that progress benefits everyone.”
This achievement at Autodromo di Modena marks a new chapter for the Indy Autonomous Challenge and its university teams.
It reinforces the value of high-speed competition as a proving ground for autonomous innovation – and sets the stage for continued advancements across racing, safety systems, and the future of mobility.
