Frequently Asked Questions

General

Q: Who can join the 2026 ICRA Roboracer competition?

A: Anyone can join the Roboracer competition. For the in-person competition you will have to build and bring your own racecar to Vienna, Austria.

Q: Are there any prerequisites, restrictions or formal requirements to participate in the competition?

A: No there are no general restrictions, prerequisites or formal requirements for joining the competition. For the in-person event every team has to build and bring their own racecar (which has to adhere to the ruleset) with them when they travel to Vienna, Austria. Everyone attending the competition on-site also has to register with ICRA (see questions below). Please check with airline regulations for how to safely travel with LiPo (or NiMH, or whichever technology you use) batteries.

Q: How much is the fee to participate in the Roboracer competition?

A: There is no fee to participate in the Roboracer competition itself. However, since the in-person Roboracer competition is held at ICRA, every in-person participant has to be registered with ICRA to be able to access the competition area (see questions below).

Q: Where can I get more information/ask questions about the event?

A: Please join the Slack channel and ask any questions there. This way, you will also receive relevant updates from our side. You can also E-Mail your questions to: roboracer2026icra@tuwien.ac.at

Q: I am new to Roboracer, where can I find resources to get started?

A: For the Sim Racing League see here: https://autodrive-ecosystem.github.io/competitions/roboracer-sim-racing-icra-2026/ For the in-person competition, information about building a car, research, as well as learning/teaching materials can be found here: https://roboracer.ai/

In-Person competition

Q: Who has to register with the ICRA conference in order to access the competition area?

A: Everyone (be it team member, student, teacher, supervisor, etc.) who will be present at the competition (not matter if they themselves participate in the race or not) has to be registered for ICRA. This can either be a full registration, or the cheaper registration specifically for competitors.

Q: How much will ICRA’s special registration for competitors cost?

A: Currently, the price communicated by ICRA for competition only registration is 275€ per person, but we are in talks with the ICRA organizers to lower it. We hope we can announce a lower competition only registration fee to you soon! A: The ICRA competition only registration is 275€ per person using a discount code provided to every registered team.

Q: What is included in the special registration for competitors at ICRA?

A: Access to the competition area and the exhibition area from Monday to Thursday, as well as lunch on-site from Tuesday to Thursday. As far as we know, access to the sessions and workshop is NOT included.

Q: How can we get a VISA for Austria?

A: Visa support is provided by ICRA, see https://2026.ieee-icra.org/attend/visa-information/ for more details.

Q: How many people are needed/allowed for each team?

A: There is no limit to the number of people in a team. A team consisting only of a single person is also fine. However, for the in-person competition in Vienna, Austria, we can only guarantee equipment (tables, chairs, etc.) for four people per team. Note that every team member who wants to access the competition in person at ICRA has to be registered with ICRA.

Q: Are there any pre-competition events or meetings?

A: As we are going to be very busy to prepare for the competition on the weekend leading up to ICRA, there are currently no plans for any pre-competition events or meetings. All relevant details will be communicated via Slack. Note that there are events planned during the week.

Q: When does the registration for the competition start?

A: The registration has started on March 26, in accordance with the official timeline. Register here.

Q: How are you going to calculate the motor specifications according to the current rules?

A: We use this formula: https://things-in-motion.blogspot.com/2018/12/how-to-estimate-torque-of-bldc-pmsm.html. For this race, we aim to accept any motors that have previously been approved, as well as motors with similar specs. After examining the hardware lists supplied by the teams, there will either be a clarification of the rules or a list of approved motors.

Sim Racing League

Q: When does the registration open for the Sim Racing League competition?

A: The registration is already open. Here is a link to the registration form: https://forms.gle/RBcH2k4LU49FiGth7

Q: Are there any changes to the competition framework in comparison to the competitions at ICRA 2025 or CDC-TF 2025?

A: No, there are no significant changes. More information can be found here: https://autodrive-ecosystem.github.io/competitions/roboracer-sim-racing-icra-2026/

Q: When will the practice track be available?

A: The explore and practice track will be released soon. Check for official announcements on: Slack, LinkedIn, X/Twitter