A new age of sports is upon us. Drone racing is a sport that is gaining in popularity all over the world. This past weekend at Governors Island in New York, the US National Drone Racing Championship was held. Pilots from all over the country came together to fly their drones in front of thousands, to claim the title of best drone racer in the country. Zachry “A_Nub” Thayer was crowned the overall winner of the event on Sunday.
The event, sponsored by GoPro, began with 1400 pilots, from all over the country, that attempted to qualify at regional events to become one of 150 best pilots to compete at the championship. After elimination rounds the finals consisted of four pilots that competed in a three lap race, with one coming out as champion. The races were based on speed, and completion of obstacles and making it through all of the check points. Each pilot wore first person view goggles that show the course of their drone, which is outfitted with a small camera, in real time so they can navigate the course.
If you’ve never seen drone racing before, these are the FPV goggles pilots wear to see what their quad sees. pic.twitter.com/0KMwNoljct
— AirVūz (@AirVuz) August 7, 2016
To succeed at racing, pilots need to have quick reflexes to navigate the course. The pilots at the race vary in age and background, the youngest racer being 12 years old. This race is also a qualifier event for the United States for the World Drone Race Championship in October.
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The drones are also specially made for racing. Most racers make their own drones that end up costing a few hundred dollars. Pilots update their drones as much as possible when new technology is available. The championship race included an area where technology and drone companies could showcase their new products for drone racing.
What makes this drone race different from the rest is that ESPN was livestreaming it on ESPN 3, which was the first ever drone race to be covered by the network. Having ESPN produce coverage of the race brings drone racing to a larger audience, as most people have never seen or heard of it before. Having GoPro be a sponsor of this event shows that the company is investing in the future of drones and technology, while also bringing in a lager audience of racers or fans who may like GoPro but not know about racing. Other big sponsors of the event like Ernst and Young and AIG also help grow the drone racing audience.