Introduce two-staged qualification for 2027

[caudri-loki]

Background

The organization agreed to introduce a two-stage qualification process for the 2027 CAuDri-Challenge. The goal is to encourage teams to reach a working vehicle state before the event and avoid first autonomous tests taking place during the competition.

Agreed direction

• Require a pre-event qualification video. A submission around four weeks before the event was discussed as a working target, but the exact deadline and evidence requirements still need to be specified.
• Run an additional on-site qualifying session on Friday.
• During on-site qualifying, the vehicle must:
  • start from the start box;
  • complete a Free-Drive-like course autonomously;
  • complete the run without RC-mode intervention.
• Keep the exact course layout and distance flexible rather than hard-coding fixed dimensions into the regulations.
• Prefer a time window with retry opportunities over a single all-or-nothing attempt.
• Move technical inspection to Friday as part of the qualification schedule.

Scope

• define the video contents, submission deadline, review process, and minimum evidence;
• define on-site pass criteria, allowed retries, time window, and failure handling;
• define how qualification affects participation in the scored disciplines;
• integrate technical inspection and qualifying into the event schedule;
• add concise participant-facing documentation and examples.

Acceptance criteria

• Pre-event video requirements and deadline are documented.
• On-site pass criteria and retry rules are documented.
• RC-mode restrictions during qualifying are explicit.
• Technical inspection is scheduled for Friday.
• The regulations remain flexible regarding the exact course layout.