Using a Path-Fitting Algorithm to Analyze the Racing Techniques of a Skilled Driver

Racecar drivers are skilled at tracking a path, avoiding accidents, and controlling their vehicles at the limits of handling. Better understanding of how a skilled driver selects and drives a racing line, could potentially lead to a new technique for obstacle avoidance. To investigate this, the characteristics of a racecar driver’s line must be captured mathematically. This paper describes an algorithm for fitting a path to the GPS data of a driver’s racing line. A family of path primitives composed of straights, clothoids, and constant radius arcs are used to describe the racing line. The fitted paths provide a method for analyzing racing lines and the different techniques used by skilled drivers to navigate the track.