Toyota GR Supras tandem drift – by themselves

Toyota has become the first auto brand to tandem drift two vehicles using autonomous driving technology.

The ‘experiment’ was supposedly done in the name of furthering the safety of future autonomous driving technologies, given Toyota says drifting is “a skill transferable to recovering from a slide on snow or ice”.

“By adding a second car drifting in tandem, the teams have now more closely simulated dynamic conditions where cars must respond quickly to other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists,” Toyota claimed.

The Toyota Research Institute (TRI) has been working with Stanford Engineering for almost a decade now on road and vehicle safety, and both parties describe a tandem drift as the most advanced manoeuvre in motorsport, especially after dark when vision is poorer and conditions can change more rapidly.

The stunt itself was carried out at Thunderhill Raceway Park in California using two specially-prepared, self-drifting GR Supras, each with distinct lead and chase vehicle algorithms – the former developed by TRI and the latter by Stanford – to ensure smooth synchronisation.

Each vehicle had a professional driver onboard to take manual control if something went wrong or got too far out of shape, but word is they didn’t interfere once.

“When your car begins to skid or slide, you rely solely on your driving skills to avoid colliding with another vehicle, tree or obstacle,” said TRI interactive driving vice-president Avinash Balachandran.

“An average driver struggles to manage these extreme circumstances, and a split second can mean the difference between life and death.

“This new technology can kick in precisely in time to safeguard a driver and manage a loss of control, just as an expert drifter would.”

Stanford Engineering’s centre for automotive research co-director Chris Gerdes added that learnings from the study had already helped the development of new techniques for controlling automated vehicles safely on ice.

The cars themselves were built to the same specification as professional Formula Drift cars – modified engines, transmissions, suspension, steering, wheels, tyres, roll cages, fire suppression, etc – to help Toyota and Stanford collect data with the real-time feedback of expert drivers.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au