The green flag falls on Saturday in Victorville, Calif., to start the finals of an annual robotic-vehicle race held by the U.S. Defense Department’s advanced research agency.

Unfortunately, Team Scorpion, a Tucson-based team led by Raytheon Co. with help from the University of Arizona and others, won’t be in the lineup.

Team Scorpion didn’t make the cut for the 20 finalist spots for the Urban Challenge Final Event, a annual project of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

But earlier this year, Team Scorpion was among 53 teams that got far enough for some research funding and a site visit from DARPA.

The final event will be Saturday (Nov. 3) at the former George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif. The 11 teams will compete for cash prizes worth $2 million for first, $1 million for second, and $500,000 for third place.

According to DARPA, the teams will attempt to complete a complex 60-mile urban course with live traffic in less than six hours. The finalists will operate on the course roads with approximately 50 human-driven traffic vehicles. Speed is not the only factor in determining the winners, as vehicles must also meet the same standards required to pass the California DMV road test.

The Urban Challenge Final Event will be Webcast live here starting at 7:30 a.m. Arizona time.