The 1000 Miglia Autonomous Drive (1000-MAD) project will see a Maserati MC20 Cielo equipped with self-driving technology by the Politecnico di Milano tested on public roads along the 1000 Miglia race route on July 13-17, 2023.
The MC20, fitted with an array of advanced componentry, will enter the full 1000 Miglia 2023 race, taking on certain parts completely autonomously while complying with the local Highway Code. Onboard supervisor Matteo Marzotto, whose uncle Giannino Marzotto won the 1953 1000 Miglia, will ensure the vehicle drives as expected.
Following the 2023 race, a year of testing will be carried out to refine the autonomous technology ahead of the car running the entire 1,500km length of the 2024 1000 Miglia in autonomous mode.
The trial was made possible by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport authorizing the team to conduct autonomous driving tests on public roads, based on the ‘Smart Road’ Ministerial Decree 70/2018. The project is conducted in collaboration with 1000 Miglia and the National Centre for Sustainable Mobility and is sponsored by Movyon and Cisco. Several other technical suppliers have also contributed to the project.
“Obtaining this authorization is already a very important milestone achieved by the project after almost a year of work, as it will enable the development of autonomous driving technology (i.e. all the automation and artificial intelligence algorithms capable of replacing the human driver) in a huge number of real-life situations on different types of roads, all along the route of the classic 1000 Miglia,” said Sergio Savaresi, professor of Automation at the Politecnico di Milano and leader of the 1000-MAD project.
“With this project, the Politecnico di Milano establishes its position as a pioneer in the field of self-driving car technology, for the benefit of the entire national and international scientific and industrial community, with the ultimate aim of making an important contribution toward new models of sustainable mobility,” said Donatella Sciuto, rector of the Politecnico di Milano.