Cavalier Autonomous Racing

We are Cavalier Autonomous Racing — The University of Virginia’s premier autonomous racing team, and the first American team to win the Indy Autonomous Challenge. In motorsport, there’s a saying: “If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.” We’re building AI that lives by that philosophy. Born out of Prof. Madhur Behl’s research group at UVA, our team pushes the limits of perception, planning, and control algorithms by testing them under extreme conditions—at 180+ mph. Autonomous racing is not just a competition; it’s a proving ground for the future of robotics and intelligent machines. Our car is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors (LiDAR, radar, cameras, GNSS, IMU), compute platforms, and over 60,000 lines of custom C++ code. The software stack is developed entirely in-house by our student team, with contributions from undergraduates and graduate students across CS, MAE, ECE, and beyond. We’ve raced at legendary venues like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the NASA Space Shuttle Landing Facility. Cavalier Autonomous Racing is more than just a race team—it’s an R&D lab on wheels. Every lap we complete feeds back into research on physical AI, high-speed robotics, and safe autonomous systems. We believe that what we’re building for the track will shape the algorithms and systems that power the next generation of intelligent vehicles If you’re curious about the bleeding edge of AI, robotics, and racing—or want to join a team that fully sends it—follow us.