If you’re looking for the coolest new sport on the block, you’ve just found it – drone racing.
It’s sort of like podracing, which you may remember as one of the only two cool things from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (along with Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber), or Robot Wars, but with less unmitigated violence.
According to the Independent, drone racing is already big business in the U.S., attracting millionaire investors and tech enthusiasts from around the world to get involved.
It’s pretty much the hottest new sport around right now, and it looks as though the UK may finally be about to get in on the action.
It pretty much does what it says on the tin, with competitors using controllers to race drones around a track, with the flying vehicles capable of reaching speeds of up to 80mph.
And these new videos, courtesy of drone propeller seller Propsman and Australia’s ABC News, show just how badass the whole thing is, as two drones whiz around a makeshift course inside a warehouse.
As reported by the Telegraph, there’s already a drone racing league in the U.S., which is set to begin later this month, while the first UK Drone Nationals were held last August by the British FPV Racing Association.
And, Thomas Greer, founder and secretary of the British FPV Racing Association, is confident this will lead to the sport taking off properly in the UK:
In the past year, the components and software have all become cheaper and more accessible. You don’t have to be a programmer to be able to get one of these, whereas three years ago you did.
I see us going down the lines of Formula 1. We’re now very much a participation sport, but we also want to get it more accessible for people to watch because that helps the sport grow. We’re going to model shows and country shows and running taster events, because when you let someone have a go, they love it.
We really want to have a go at this!
