In a remarkable achievement, a team comprised of staff and students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has clinched victory in an autonomous car race in Italy. This marks their third attempt, showcasing a significant leap in performance despite facing a more complex track than previous races.
Team Kinetiz’s Path to Victory
The team, known as Kinetiz, included members from NTU as well as professionals from K2, a technology company based in the UAE, and Alp Autonomy, a specialist in autonomous systems. They managed to outpace four other teams during the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) event held on September 5. In their earlier attempts—including a disappointing sixth place in the inaugural A2RL race in 2024—Kinetiz faced various challenges. However, their fortunes began to change in 2025, where they won a virtual racing event and ultimately finished fourth in the grand final.
According to Holden Li, NTU team lead and associate professor from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the key to their success was not a miraculous algorithm but the valuable lessons learned from past experiences. The team refined their algorithms and improved upon the performance metrics derived from their previous races. Li emphasized that the accumulated knowledge over three consecutive years played a crucial role in their recent success.
Challenges of the Imola Circuit
This year’s race took place on Italy’s Imola Circuit, introducing additional challenges like elevation changes and uneven terrain, which were starkly different from the flat Yas Marina Circuit they previously competed on in Abu Dhabi. The 4.9 km-long track tested the limits of autonomous driving capabilities, demanding precise management of grip, traffic interactions, and effective overtaking strategies. Race organizer Aspire noted that the Imola track offered a unique setting for teams to evaluate their systems under real-time pressure.
The competition was intense; Kinetiz finished 10.963 seconds ahead of the second-place team, Constructor Racing, also from Germany. In contrast, TUM, the previous winner of both 2024 and 2025 races, encountered technical difficulties that sidelined them to fifth place. This year’s A2RL race formed part of the prominent ACI racing weekend in Italy, showcasing a blend of traditional motorsport events alongside autonomous racing.
The Bigger Picture for Autonomous Technology
Kinetiz’s victory resonates well beyond the confines of a racing circuit, reflecting broader advancements in autonomous technology. Omar AlQassim, Kinetiz team principal, expressed pride in representing the UAE on an international platform. The win is significant not just for the team but also for the partnership between NTU and industry leaders, facilitating innovations that could influence the future of autonomous mobility.
NTU Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Louis Phee, articulated that this win reinforces NTU’s position as a global leader in artificial intelligence research. The synergy between academic and industrial partners enables NTU to compete effectively against some of the world’s top teams. Moreover, Li noted that the experiences gained from this competition could have vital implications for Singapore by bolstering the adoption of autonomous systems within various sectors.
Ultimately, this event is a testament to the evolving landscape of technology in motorsports and autonomous vehicle systems, highlighting how teams can leverage competitive platforms to refine and advance their technologies. Further developments in this field may lead to a transformative impact on urban mobility and traffic safety in the years to come.