Have you ever watched humans race cars? I would watch robots race simple courses before I'd watch people, especially if different algorithms are competing. It'd be more like watching StarCraft bots compete.

Quite a lot of the population enjoys watching people race cars. Some people like football / soccer and I cannot fathom why, but I respect their choice of entertainment. I guess everything loved has a subtly that interests fans and bores everyone else.

What about watching humans race against robot cars?

That would be something I would consider watching.

if humans are safely out of the picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BattleBots