The AWS DeepRacer League is the world’s first autonomous racing league, open to anyone. Announced at re:Invent 2018, it puts machine learning in the hands of every developer in a fun and exciting way. Since March 2019, thousands of developers of all skill levels have competed for the chance to advance to the Championship Cup at re:Invent 2019.

2019 League wrap-up

As well as racing at AWS Summits around the world, participants have been racing virtually via the AWS DeepRacer console. Developers have been testing their skills on different tracks in simulation throughout the year, and competing in monthly competitions with the hope of winning an expenses-paid trip to re:Invent 2019. The final Virtual Circuit race concluded on October 31, completing the Championship Cup lineup.

Two champions were named: the winner of the final virtual race of the year, as well as 18 top point scorers who have been competing in multiple races throughout the year. “Eric” from Taiwan won the Toronto Turnpike race with a lap time of 7.172 seconds, which is the fastest time recorded on any of the virtual tracks, and beats the world record set at the Summits. The next challenge for Eric is transitioning his models from simulation to the real world when he gets to Las Vegas!

Lyndon Leggate, an early AWS DeepRacer enthusiast and the founder of the AWS DeepRacer Slack community, was victorious in the overall virtual leaderboard and is joined by 17 other skilled racers from the Virtual Circuit. Each of the 18 racers competed in all six virtual races, racking up points along the way with very consistent models, and clocking times ranging between 9.4–14.6 seconds. We will see each of these developers at re:Invent 2019, when the in-person and virtual worlds collide in the Championship Cup knock-out rounds.

The AWS DeepRacer 2019 Summit Circuit results

The AWS DeepRacer Virtual Circuit results

Get ready to race at re:Invent

re:Invent 2019 is the final destination on the journey to crown the 2019 AWS DeepRacer Championship Cup winner. The November Championship Cup warm-up race is now open. On the newly revealed track shape, developers can train models on the official track to be used during the Championship Cup! You can take part in this friendly warm-up race via the AWS DeepRacer console and compete for up to $500 in AWS credits. See how your model performs on the official Championship Cup track today, and bring that model with you to re:Invent and race at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. There will be prizes up for grabs, all while getting a trackside seat to witness the best racers from around the world compete in the knock-outs.

The Championship Cup

The Championship Cup competition includes a set of elimination rounds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where 64 of the League’s best face off in a knock-out tournament in the hopes of taking home the glory! Starting on Tuesday, December 3, the field will whittle down from 64 to 3, who will go on to compete onstage in the Grand Final at Werner Vogel’s keynote on Thursday, December 5. The League will hold one final chance for in-person racers to advance to the knock-out rounds on Monday, December 2, from 4–7 PM, at the Quad in the Aria hotel. Open to all re:Invent attendees, you can race on the iconic 2019 track for a chance to advance to the finals where not one but three contestants will go through!

Learn and grow

New racers not competing for the 2019 cup can attend one of the 10 AWS DeepRacer workshops to learn how to build the best model to compete in the 2020 League and learn from AWS DeepRacer experts.

The AWS DeepRacer workshops provide customers with hands-on training, enabling them to build their models and learn more about what’s next for AWS DeepRacer. The sessions are open for registration now, so don’t miss out on your chance to learn and get ready to race!

AWS customers who want to learn and prepare for the 2020 season will benefit from the AWS DeepRacer Expert Boot Camp. This two-day event offers unprecedented access to AWS DeepRacer experts, including AWS DeepRacer data scientists, 2019 AWS Summit winners, and developer experts sharing best practices and racing tips. With a full track for practicing in real time, this is one event you do not want to miss.

The home stretch of 2019!

In less than a year, AWS DeepRacer has seen a dramatic evolution in the speeds developers are clocking on the tracks, from Rick Fish’s championship-winning time of 51.50 seconds to the world record of 7.44 seconds set by SOLA at the Tokyo Summit in June. Developers around the world have embraced the challenge, testing their models for days and weeks at a time, playing with speed and other parameters to push the car to its physical (and virtual) limits. The Championship Cup is set to be the most exciting yet. Register for re:Invent 2019 today, and start training your models to win prizes in the warm-up challenge!

About the Author

Alexandra Bush is a Senior Product Marketing Manager for AWS AI. She is passionate about how technology impacts the world around us and enjoys being able to help make it accessible to all. Out of the office she loves to run, travel and stay active in the outdoors with family and friends.