Drone Racing is the high-tech sport taking off around the world. Ever wanted to do some podracing as seen in the Phantom Menace? Well this is as close as you can get right now and it is growing with some major international events and media partners driving the sport from underground warehouses into the mainstream.
Gizmag recently did a report on the underground Drone Racing scene here in Rebel Scum Radio’s home town of Melbourne, Australia (Watch Video) but it is in the US where sport is taking off.
Presently even the biggest drone racing events only attracting real-life crowds of hundreds rather than thousands, this is only a fraction of the audience the sports attracts through online streams.
So what is the problem? Nicholas Horbaczewski, Founder of the Drone Racing League explains.
“If you’re promised Star Wars and you get a Saturday afternoon BBQ in a field. If what you are promising people is a sport, if what you a promising people is a spectator experience you have to deliver that.”
Nicholas knows how to grow brand and deliver event experiences as he grew Tough Mudder from unknown fitness race into a global phenomenon. He thinks he can do the same with the drone racing league.
“You need to tell a lot of people that drone racing exists and explain what it is to them so they understand. Then you need to take those people and convert them from casual viewer or interested parties into true fans” explains Horbaczewski.
“People [then] have an affiliation with pilot or want to know the result. Once you’ve got those two things then you’ve got to offer a compelling live event experience.”
The Drone Racing League has developed the sport to a point where ESPN has taken it to the mainstream and is certainly dreaming big about the future of the sport.
ESPN and the International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) have announced a partnership to broadcast drone racing live on TV, starting with a three-day event in New York City this August.
“We look forward to providing drone racing fans a larger platform to access this exciting world,” said Matthew Volk, ESPN Director, Programming & Acquisitions. “Drone racing is an opportunity to reach and connect with a growing and passionate audience.”
Spectators can also enjoy the ‘first person view’ sensation of racing in the drone by watching directly on their own goggles, online, on television, or live by attending racing events.
Drone Racing could be the sport which develops the use of VR and FPV for other sporting brands in the US and around the globe.
Are you keen to watch Drone Racing? Leave us a comment below or use the Google machine to find your local Drone Racing club.
Check out more FPV Drone videos from the Drone Racing League here – Watch videos