Permits requested for robotic car race

Thursday, June 26, 2003 | 10:12 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Organizers of the unmanned robotic ground vehicle challenge planned next year by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense have submitted applications to the California and Nevada Bureaus of Land Management seeking approval for three possible routes that start in Barstow, Calif., pass through Primm and finish in Las Vegas.

Scheduled for Saturday, March 13, 2004, the DARPA Grand Challenge will cover a course of approximately 250 miles. The team that most quickly completes the route in less than the prescribed time will receive a cash prize of $1 million. The event is intended to spur development of autonomous robotic ground vehicle technology for military applications and is the first in a series of Grand Challenges planned by DARPA.

DARPA has enlisted Sal Fish, CEO and president of SCORE International, to help develop the route. SCORE has more than 30 years of experience staging desert racing events in Southern Nevada, Southern California, Arizona and Mexico.