Photo: Motortrend | Edited video screenshot
People dream of times when autonomous vehicles will race without drivers behind the wheel, expecting a leap in performance versus humans. While not there yet, a Tesla Model 3 Performance driving on FSD Beta completed a lap on the Streets of Willow circuit in Southern California.
People love to dream big, and autonomous driving is one of those things still left for dreaming. Despite Elon Musk promising self-driving vehicles for many years, human drivers are still necessary behind the wheel, for better or worse. Even in these conditions, the software makes mistakes, sometimes leading to life loss. But that’s the way this Earth was conquered, with human sacrifices every step of the way.
Although we know better now, some people still think Tesla’s FSD Beta software can drive better than humans and is even safer. Tesla, for its part, has become less confident that this is still possible, and that’s why it demoted the FSD software to a Level 2 safety assist system, letting drivers assume full responsibility when using it in real life. And as long as drivers pay attention and are ready to take over when the FSD messes things up, the software can be helpful in daily traffic.
But can the FSD Beta manage itself in a more unusual situation? Can it handle racing on a racetrack? Folks at Motortrend, who were testing a Tesla Model 3 Performance on the Streets of Willow racetrack, were curious to find out. With Elon Musk’s claims that the software is better than humans, could it also be better than a race driver? There was only one way to find out, and they seized the moment.
They set the stage for a successful test by ensuring no other cars were on track. An AI-driven race might sound fun, but mixing self-driving cars and human drivers is never a good idea on a racetrack. During the laps, the FSD Beta was always active, and the supervising driver behind the wheel did not press the brake or the accelerator. He did apply a slight force on the steering wheel when requested by the car to keep FSD from disengaging, but never influenced any steering decision.
The driver activated the FSD with a double tap on the right stalk, and the system recognized the racetrack as a local road rather than a highway. Since the car was running an earlier FSD build, this makes a huge difference because highway driving is handled by Autopilot instead of FSD Beta. The driver set the maximum speed to 80 mph (130 kph) just to be on the safe side, and off he went, letting the AI mind its own business.
If you watch the video below, you will notice that this is far from a racing pace. The FSD Beta proceeded extra-cautiously and always kept the right side of the track, consistent with FSD behavior on city streets without a center divider. The system completed the laps without driver input, but anyone watching the race would’ve fallen asleep. Race drivers can rest assured: they still have a future.
Although we know better now, some people still think Tesla’s FSD Beta software can drive better than humans and is even safer. Tesla, for its part, has become less confident that this is still possible, and that’s why it demoted the FSD software to a Level 2 safety assist system, letting drivers assume full responsibility when using it in real life. And as long as drivers pay attention and are ready to take over when the FSD messes things up, the software can be helpful in daily traffic.
But can the FSD Beta manage itself in a more unusual situation? Can it handle racing on a racetrack? Folks at Motortrend, who were testing a Tesla Model 3 Performance on the Streets of Willow racetrack, were curious to find out. With Elon Musk’s claims that the software is better than humans, could it also be better than a race driver? There was only one way to find out, and they seized the moment.
They set the stage for a successful test by ensuring no other cars were on track. An AI-driven race might sound fun, but mixing self-driving cars and human drivers is never a good idea on a racetrack. During the laps, the FSD Beta was always active, and the supervising driver behind the wheel did not press the brake or the accelerator. He did apply a slight force on the steering wheel when requested by the car to keep FSD from disengaging, but never influenced any steering decision.
The driver activated the FSD with a double tap on the right stalk, and the system recognized the racetrack as a local road rather than a highway. Since the car was running an earlier FSD build, this makes a huge difference because highway driving is handled by Autopilot instead of FSD Beta. The driver set the maximum speed to 80 mph (130 kph) just to be on the safe side, and off he went, letting the AI mind its own business.
If you watch the video below, you will notice that this is far from a racing pace. The FSD Beta proceeded extra-cautiously and always kept the right side of the track, consistent with FSD behavior on city streets without a center divider. The system completed the laps without driver input, but anyone watching the race would’ve fallen asleep. Race drivers can rest assured: they still have a future.
@MotorTrend took @Tesla's FSD Beta to track & FSD completed the lap by itself! Amazing!! FSD Beta Profile: @RandyPobst wen? @elonmusk @aelluswamy ????@WholeMarsBlog @BLKMDL3 @SawyerMerritt @sofiaan $TSLA pic.twitter.com/CccOTByzhY
— Chansoo Byeon (@ByeonChansoo) March 10, 2023
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