LOS ALTOS, CA—Engineers at the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) and Stanford University recently drifted two autonomous vehicles in tandem. The experiment was conducted at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, CA, using a pair of modified Toyota GR Supra sports cars. Algorithms on the lead car were developed at TRI, while Stanford engineers developed those on the chase car.

Drifting refers to a motorsports maneuver where a driver precisely controls a vehicle’s direction after breaking traction by spinning the rear tires—a skill transferable to recovering from a slide on snow or ice. By adding a second car drifting in tandem, the engineers simulated dynamic conditions where cars must respond quickly to other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.