has announced that 2024 will further develop this fast-paced, accessible sport with a new E-Drone Racing World Cup based on a series of 4 or 5 events, each with a different surprise circuit.
E-Drone Racing: a brand new, accessible and fast-paced sport
Just as real-life drone pilots compete on a track at top speeds, so E-Drone pilots can now do the same, online at home and from anywhere in the world.
Competitors need minimal equipment to compete (a game controller or radio transmitter with a Windows computer) and the racing takes place remotely, online. meaning that it is easily accessible to anyone with a stable internet connection. Competitors will also need an EreaDrone licence to be purchased here.
The EreaDrone simulator permits designers to create a circuit in any environment, from mountains to cities, harbours to castles, etc. The competition track may be on a closed circuit with several laps to be completed, or a track to be flown once time only.
The total distance to complete in a race will be around 2 to 3 km. The fastest pilots will be able to complete the race in just 60-90 seconds: quick reactions are everything in this e-sport.
Qualify. Compete. Conquer: Understand how the World Cup will be Run
Competitors will need to register in advance for each event, via the EreaDrone website, and pay an entry fee (5€ maximum cost).
The registration for the first 2024 FAI e-Drone Racing World Cup event will open on 18 May 2024.
A practice flight session will be planned before each event to familiarise the pilots with the circuit.
A qualification stage will be organised to select the pilots for the competition itself: Qualification flights will be asynchronous, i.e. pilots fly alone on the circuit. Each pilot will have a maximum number of attempts, with the fastest time recorded for the qualification stage ranking.
The preliminary rounds of the competition will be run with 8 pilots per race, with the 4 best placed in each race qualifying for the next round and the other pilots being eliminated.
The 32 pilots qualified after the preliminary round(s) go through to the final part of the competition. The final will be run with 4 pilots per race, and so will include 1/8th finals, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals (16 races in total). The two best-placed pilots will be qualified for the next round up to the final race, with the other pilots being eliminated.
The final of the competition will be livestreamed on the FAI YouTube channel with an English language commentator.
For each event, points will be allocated to the participants depending their ranking in the competition. The total World Cup score of the competitors will be the sum of their best three event results (numbers of points).
The best placed pilots in the World Cup ranking will be awarded the title of 2024 e-Drone Racing World Cup champion, and CIAM medals and diplomas will be awarded to the three best placed. Other prizes may also be awarded as available.
Did You Know?
2023 saw the first ever FAI E-Drone Racing competition take place, with the final part run in Namwon City, Republic of Korea as part of the FAI World Drone Racing Championships. French pilot Swan Versmissen took the champion title in a hard-fought contest against pilots who had qualified for the final race.
Source: Press Release