Some of the best drone pilots in the world will come together on the Strip in Las Vegas next year to compete for the crowning glory of the tiny flying machine champion.
The Drone Racing League announced on Monday that it will bring its professional high-speed drone racetrack to Las Vegas with the DRL Vegas Championship Race, which takes place on the opening night of CES on January 5th.
The sport feels like one-piece Star Wars podracing and one-piece NASCAR on a smaller scale, with pilots piloting the drones while wearing first-person view glasses that stream a live video feed from their drone while they navigate through neon-lit courses.
The Las Vegas Championship will be attended by 12 of the best pilots in the world, flying at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour on a specially designed outdoor track along the strip in the T-Mobile Arena. The event will be the final of the 2021-22 DRL Algorand World Championship season and the winner will take home the title of DRL World Champion.
“Our Championship Race will demonstrate the incredible collaboration between T-Mobile and the Drone Racing League on the largest stage of the world’s best technology leaders. Our must-see event will unveil cutting-edge technology, cutting-edge sports competition and visually stunning entertainment, “DRL President Rachel Jacobson said in a statement.
The up-and-coming DRL was founded in 2015, but has grown immensely in a relatively short time, especially among younger fans. Earlier this year, DRL announced that sports betting giant DraftKings would be the league’s official betting partner, making the DRL races the first air sports event where fans can bet on the results.
The DRL Vegas Championship Race is open to the public and will air later on February 12-20 on NBC and Twitter.
Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.
