Drone racing is already a phenomenon in the US and the UK is about to feel the force. Never mind using drones for delivery, communication or photography, it’s time to get competitive.
London is hosting the UK’s first professional drone race at Alexandra Palace during London Tech Week on June 13th. Nick Horbaczewski, CEO of the Drone Racing League, explains why the capital was a natural choice for the league’s latest new venue. “We chose to stage the race in London because it has a strong drone racing community and, as a global city, it represents the kind of market we want to appeal to. London has defined itself as a world-renowned tech and innovation hub, and we wanted to tap in to that.”
If you want to bone up on drones before then, tune in to Sky Sports. The channel recently secured UK broadcasting rights for the Drone Racing League (DRL) World Drone Grand Prix in Dubai. In the inaugural race, some 2,000 spectators turned up to watch 15-year-old Luke Bannister from Somerset, and his team, Tornado X-Blades Banni-UK, beat the home favourites Dubai Dronetek to land the $250,000 (£174,000) jackpot.
Horbaczewski says there’s already a swell of interest in the game. “Our goal is to create the next major sport and the resonance we’ve got from fans already is amazing. If you look at UFC and Esports, it shows how quickly you can grow an entirely new games industry with the right support.”
The beauty of drone racing is that it can be held pretty much anywhere —event locations have ranged from NFL stadiums to underground car parks. London already has amateur leagues that range from have-a-go weekend drone racers to keen pilots investing in kit that costs upwards of £1,000.
Richard Rowland, a property landlord who races drones in his spare time and is the secretary of the British FPV Racing League, says the FPV has around 300 pilots signed up.
The DRL’s rapid rise to prominence shows there is potential for drone racing. It used Kickstarter to launch and attracted a $1m (£808,015) investment from Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins. A year later and it has made huge progress. Its broadcasting deal with ESPN saw 28 million people watch drone racing in the US last year and yesterday it announced a significant partnership with financial conglomerate Allianz, which will help them boost the profile of the sport and host events at various stadia around the world.
So does Horbaczewski see something similar happening for the UK? “There is potential for it to expand,” he says. “We hope coverage of drone racing will eventually result in development of the lower-profile leagues.”
In fact, the DRL is using e-sports to trigger interest in the sport among young people. It recently launched a simulator which teaches people how to fly a drone that can be played at home and allows you to compete against other pilots.
Horbaczewski says this digital experience will help people know what drones are all about. “Learning to fly a drone is hard as they’re sensitive. It can be painful picking up the cost of drones getting damaged and so the simulator accelerates that learning curve.”
Drone competitions are about enjoyment, with a measure of pride thrown in. The race is on.
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