RARS Bi-weekly Race Report
& News About Upcoming Races
August 7, 1995
RARS is the Robot Auto Racing Simulation, a competition for
programmers and an on-going challenge for practicioners of Artificial
Intelligence and real-time adaptive optimal control. It consists of
a simulation of the physics of cars racing on a track, a graphic
display of the race, and a separate control program (robot "driver")
for each car. All RARS software and activities are free and open to
the public. For more information e-mail to [email hidden].
Contents
Authors Point Standings
Upcoming Races
August 6 Competitors
August 6 Race Commentary
August 6 Race Report
solo speeds
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Expert Class Point standings
Randy Saint 39 pts (U.S.A.) Ramdu
Jussi Pajala 31 pts (Finland) WappuCar & Bubble
Safai Ma 25 pts (Canada) Burns
Mike Inman 20 pts (U.S.A.) Indretti
Jeremy Weatherford 13 pts (U.S.A.) JXBot
Nicole Greiber 11 pts (Germany) Marvin
Bill Benedict 10 pts (U.S.A.) Rusty
Tim Battersby 10 pts (Canada) Emily
Oscar Gustafsson 10 pts (Sweden) OscCar2
Muir Lee Harding 6 pts (U.S.A.) racer_X
George Doster 2 pts (U.S.A.) JayMan1
Nathaniel Thurston 2 pts (U.S.A.) Phase
Novice Class Points:
Tristrom Cooke 13 pt (Australia) Bingo1
Grant Reeve 11 pts (New Zealand) Piranha
Carl Burke 8 pts (U.S.A.) Blender2
Tony Cabe 6 pts (U.S.A.) Bacon
Patrick Tierney 5 pts (Canada) Heath2
Daniel Ash 4 pts (U.S.A.) Sarah
Robert Skupinski 3 pts (U.S.A.) Carski
Thomas Rooney 2 pts (U.S.A.) goCART
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The Next Four RARS Race Meets
August 20:
No. of races: 6 novice and 6 expert
Track: oval2
Laps: 10 each race
Software version: 0.63b (or latest variant of 0.60)
Surface type: 0
no practice on race day, practice at home all you want!
The default starting order system will be used, i.e. alternating
random and reversed.
September 3:
No. of races 2 novice and 2 expert
Tracks: S1.TRK and S2.TRK, one race on each
Laps: 80 each race
Software version: 0.63b (or latest variant of 0.60)
Surface Type: 1
no practice, random starting order.
September 17 and October 1:
Stock Car Races!
All entries will be variations of the file STOCKER.CPP which
will be on the ftp site within 24 hrs. The only permissible
variations are changes to the value of any numbers appearing in
the source file, both integers and floating point. The driver is
essentially the Arelys robot with the passing code from JackBot.
(Carski in the Aug. 6 race was like that.) The present set of
experts will continue as the expert class.
No. of races: 4 novice and 4 expert
Track: V03.TRK and TIMIN.TRK, 2 races each
Laps: 25 each race
Software version: 0.63b (or latest variant of 0.60)
Surface type: 0
default starting order system.
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Competitors, August 6, Novice Class:
Daniel Ash U.S.A. Sarah
Oscar Gustavsson Sweden OscCar2
Robert Skupinski U.S.A. Carski
Tony Cabe U.S.A. Bacon
Competitors, August 6, Expert Class:
Safai Ma Canada Burns
Jussi Pajala Finland WappuCar
Randy Saint U.S.A. Ramdu
Mike Inman U.S.A. Indretti
Nicole Greiber Germany Marvin
Jeremy Weatherford U.S.A. JXBot3
Oscar Gustavsson Sweden OscCar2 (made expert today)
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Race Commentary by M. Timin
First Novice Race, on S1
There was Carski, Sarah, Bacon and OscCar2 starting in the single
row. Bacon took the lead entering the third turn and from then on
was never seriously challenged; he drove more like an expert than a
novice. During the long race he repeatedly passed all of the other
cars, seemingly without difficulty. The more interesting race was
for 2nd place, with OscCar2 hot on Sarah's heels during most of the
race. OscCar couldn't pass, but Sarah couldn't pull away. Sarah
turned out to be a gas guzzler, however. She ran out on lap 39,
allowing OscCar to pass during refueling. OscCar stayed ahead for
several laps, but Sarah regained second place while OscCar refueled.
It looked like Sarah would keep the second spot, but she again ran
out of fuel halfway around the last lap! This was very unusual,
since the other drivers only need one refuel for 80 laps on S1.
Second Novice Race, on S2
The race started off just like the previous race. After several laps
Bacon was way out in front while OscCar nipped Sarah's heels. This
time however, OscCar's efforts paid off. After a dozen laps of trying
he succeded in passing her. He remained in 2nd place till near the
end of the race, when the unexpected happened. After lap 77 Bacon went
out with too much damage! OscCar2 and Sarah finished the race, in
that order, leaving Bacon in third. Carski only lasted 4 laps, since
once each lap he was biting the dirt on a particular turn. This was
tough luck for Bacon, since it left OscCar2 as the point leader for
the novice class, and the only one to join the experts. Undoubtedly,
Bacon's damage was the result of many small bumps sustained while
repeatedly passing the slower drivers.
First Expert Race, on S1
In the front row it's WappuCar Indretti and JXBot3. In the second row
we have Ramdu, OscCar, Burns and Marvin. Wappucar and Indretti
tangle at the start giving JXBot the jump on everyone else.
(Indretti is an older design and doesn't go straight at the start;
this caused the tangle.) Ramdu, although starting in the second row, had
the spot with no one in front. This lets him slip by into second
place. Marvin started right behind JXbot and this enabled him to get
into 3rd place as they came out of the s-curve after the start,
followed by WappuCar in 4th. JX hangs onto the lead with Ramdu
biting his heels. Marvin and Wappucar continue dueling for 3rd as
the pack traverses the upper straightaway. Marvin brakes too much
for the sharp right, forcing WappuCar also to slow, and the rest of
the pack almost catches them. WappuCar pulls ahead of Marvin into
3rd as they head for the upper left of the screen. JXBot grimly
hangs onto his lead with Ramdu dogging him agressively as the
progress around the first lap. WappuCar is back about 200 feet.
Marvin is falling farther back, with Burns threatening to pass him.
Ramdu cannot pass JXBot, who hugs the inside rail. Wappucar gains on
them. As the begin the 3rd lap those 3 have a half mile lead on the
rest of the pack, still lead by marvin. OscCar and Burns are now
dueling for the 5th spot. In the third lap OscCar slips by Burns who
was passing Marvin. Marvin seemed confused by this and loses speed,
falling to last place. As the leaders finish their third lap its
JXBot3, Ramdu, WappuCar, OscCar2, Burns, Indretti and Marvin.
On the 230 degree right hairpin OscCar goes a little wide. Burns
hugs the inside and passes him as they enter the straight. The lead
trio stay close together, widening their lead over the rest of the
field. Ramdu finally passes JXBot as they go into the last curve of
the 4th lap. One wonders about the damage suffered by Ramdu in his
many agressive passing attempts. It is now WappuCar trying to pass
JXBot for 2nd. This allows Ramdu to widen his lead. By the sixth
lap the field is well separated except for WappuCar trying carefully
to pass JXBot, and Marvin staying close behind Indretti.
Ramdu laps Marvin and Indretti easily on lap 9. By lap 11 he passes
Oscar. On lap 12 JXBot and WappuCar have to lap Marvin and Indretti.
In the confusion WappuCar pulls ahead of JXBot and Marvin passes
Indretti. It's now Ramdu, Wappucar, JXBot3, Burns, OscCar2, Marvin
and Indretti. They stay this way for may laps. Now the faster
drivers must repeatedly pass the slower ones. Ramdu has averaged a
blistering 76.28 mph as he completes lap 22, and has lapped all
except the 2nd and third place cars. On his 23rd lap he passes
JXBot3, giving him a bump that puts JX out of the race! We wonder
how damaged is Ramdu, and can he complete the 80 laps?
The order stays at Ramdu, WappuCar, Burns, OscCar2, Marvin, Indretti
and JXBot3 until lap 31. Ramdu bumps Burns several times attempting
to lap him, and in the upper left hand corner his car finally can't
take any more, and he parks it in the grass. WappuCar soon has the
lead, followed by Burns and OscCar2. These are separated by a lap or
more. All of the passing and bumping continues to take its toll.
The next go go out is Burns, who leaves his car close to that of
JXBot3. Wappucar, on his 35th lap, attempting to pass OscCar2, also
goes over the damage limit, leaving only Marvin and OscCar contending
for the lead. (Indretti went out after completing 29 laps.)
WappuCar has 3rd place sewn up by having completed 34 laps. OscCar2
has a one lap lead on Marvin, so 2nd place should be in that order if
they can both finish. Lapping is infrequent now, since Marvin and
OscCar2 are not so different in speed. They both complete the 80
laps, and so the finishing order is OscCar2, Marvin, WappuCar, Burns,
Ramdu, Indretti and JXBot3.
Second Expert Race, on S2
(This will be brief) Although Ramdu took the lead after the first
lap, WappuCar proved to be the faster driver and was able to pass
Ramdu after several laps. Wappucar then stayed in the lead for most
of the race. During this period everyone else dropped out save for
Marvin and OscCar3. WappuCar was unable to lap OscCar and stayed
right on his tail for many laps. When they both were about to lap
Marvin, OscCar got by and WappuCar didn't! That left WappuCar trying
to pass Marvin while OscCar made up the lap he was down, eventually
catching up to WappuCar, who was limited to Marvin's speed by his
inability to pass. The three of them stayed together for several
laps, but finally OscCar3 was able to pass both in a sudden maneuver!
This was near the end of the race. WappuCar was never able to pass
Marvin, and so it ended OscCar3, WappuCar, Marvin, Burns, JXBot3,
Ramdu, Indretti.
The damage that the cars accumulate is not due only to bumping. The
driver's behaviour is altered by collisions and near-misses, throwing
the car into a different trajectory. This often causes the car to
leave the track and suffer damage. Some of the drivers also damage
themselves by eating dirt, even when they are alone. (see solo results)
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The August 6 Results:
4 cars for 80 laps. The track was s1.trk. The drivers were:
Carski, OscCar2, Sarah, and Bacon.
The initial RVG seed was 24803.
starting positions:
Bacon, Sarah, Carski, and OscCar2.
1 Bacon avg spd 73.43 85 laps 16674 damage 30 fuel 10 pts
2 OscCar2 avg spd 68.83 80 laps 9303 damage 52 fuel 6 pts
3 Sarah avg spd 68.92 79 laps 21372 damage 147 fuel 4 pts
4 Carski avg spd 67.28 78 laps 6174 damage 75 fuel 3 pts
4 cars for 80 laps. The track was s2.trk. The drivers were:
Carski, OscCar2, Sarah, and Bacon.
The initial RVG seed was 10171.
starting positions:
OscCar2, Bacon, Carski, and Sarah.
1 OscCar2 avg spd 61.75 80 laps 7869 damage 12 fuel 10 pts
2 Sarah avg spd 61.47 80 laps 10289 damage 142 fuel 6 pts
3 Bacon avg spd 65.1 77 laps 30193 damage 25 fuel 4 pts
4 Carski avg spd 57.53 4 laps 30321 damage 132 fuel 3 pts
7 cars for 80 laps. The track was s1.trk. The drivers were:
Indretti, OscCar2, Marvin, Burns, Ramdu, JXBot3, and WappuCar.
The initial RVG seed was 62138.
starting positions:
Marvin, Burns, OscCar2, Ramdu, JXBot3, Indretti, and WappuCar.
1 OscCar2 avg spd 68.9 82 laps 18407 damage 44 fuel 10 pts
2 Marvin avg spd 66.89 80 laps 22655 damage 79 fuel 6 pts
3 WappuCar avg spd 73.38 34 laps 30005 damage 52 fuel 4 pts
4 Burns avg spd 71.27 32 laps 30336 damage 48 fuel 3 pts
5 Ramdu avg spd 76.47 30 laps 30621 damage 55 fuel 2 pts
6 Indretti avg spd 66.88 29 laps 30048 damage 62 fuel 1 pts
7 JXBot3 avg spd 72.89 21 laps 30191 damage 83 fuel 0 pts
7 cars for 80 laps. The track was s2.trk. The drivers were:
Indretti, OscCar2, Marvin, Burns, Ramdu, JXBot3, and WappuCar.
The initial RVG seed was 9447.
starting positions:
JXBot3, OscCar2, Indretti, Ramdu, WappuCar, Marvin, and Burns.
1 OscCar2 avg spd 61.64 80 laps 26808 damage 10 fuel 10 pts
2 WappuCar avg spd 61.22 80 laps 26359 damage 22 fuel 6 pts
3 Marvin avg spd 58.93 77 laps 18046 damage 62 fuel 4 pts
4 Burns avg spd 64.96 18 laps 30405 damage 88 fuel 3 pts
5 JXBot3 avg spd 64.43 15 laps 30191 damage 101 fuel 2 pts
6 Ramdu avg spd 66.24 9 laps 30261 damage 116 fuel 1 pts
7 Indretti avg spd 59.84 6 laps 30026 damage 124 fuel 0 pts
Novice Points:
today season pts
1 OscCar2 16 pts 10
2 Bacon 14 pts 6
3 Sarah 10 pts 4
4 Carski 6 pts 3
Expert Points:
1 OscCar2 20 pts 10
2 WappuCar 10 pts 6
3 Marvin 10 pts 4
4 Burns 6 pts 3
5 Ramdu 3 pts 2
6 JXBot3 2 pts 1
7 Indretti 1 pt 0
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7 laps solo on S1:
Ramdu avg spd 77.02 7 laps 2964 damage 128 fuel
WappuCar avg spd 75.98 7 laps 0 damage 131 fuel
Bacon avg spd 73.85 7 laps 0 damage 127 fuel
JXBot3 avg spd 73.28 7 laps 0 damage 128 fuel
Burns avg spd 71.56 7 laps 0 damage 127 fuel
OscCar2 avg spd 69.06 7 laps 0 damage 127 fuel
Sarah avg spd 68.92 7 laps 0 damage 123 fuel
Carski avg spd 67.42 7 laps 0 damage 129 fuel
Marvin avg spd 67.09 7 laps 0 damage 130 fuel
Indretti avg spd 67.04 7 laps 0 damage 129 fuel
7 laps solo on S2:
WappuCar avg spd 71.91 7 laps 0 damage 128 fuel
Ramdu avg spd 67.42 7 laps 0 damage 124 fuel
Burns avg spd 65.62 7 laps 0 damage 126 fuel
Bacon avg spd 65.23 7 laps 0 damage 124 fuel
JXBot3 avg spd 65.21 7 laps 10412 damage 127 fuel
OscCar2 avg spd 61.77 7 laps 0 damage 124 fuel
Sarah avg spd 61.61 7 laps 0 damage 122 fuel
Indretti avg spd 59.6 7 laps 29883 damage 124 fuel
Marvin avg spd 59.02 7 laps 0 damage 127 fuel
Carski avg spd 57.71 4 laps 30243 damage 132 fuel
