Drone racing takes off at Nagpur University

At Nagpur University, in the western Indian province of Maharashtra, India’s largest drone racing event, hosted by the Indian Drone Racing League (https://droneracingindia.com/), took place. From the 9th to the 11th of June, 250 competitors took part in the race, competing for a top prize of 75000 Rupees-the equivalent of 1200 US Dollars.

The winner Devesh Sharma, has won four IDRL events in a row now. The IDRL has hosted other races at other universities around India and is the oldest such organisation in India. Their first race was held as recently as 2016, the sport apparently not having taken off in the country yet, likely as a result of India’s restrictive drone laws.

Although the sport is a fledgeling one in India, there is a possibility for growth, with a revision of said drone laws in the pipelines, and Indias’ UAS import growing yearly, the IDRL could be the first of many such drone racing leagues in India.