Fast and furious: the biggest drone racing series on the planet – the FAI Drone Racing World Cup 2018 – is coming soon
Fast and furious: the biggest drone racing series on the planet – the FAI Drone Racing World Cup 2018 – is coming soon
Lausanne, Switzerland, 28 March 2018 – Drone pilots at the ready! The FAI Drone Racing World Cup 2018 is coming to a city near you soon. A massive 24 World Cup contests are already registered on the FAI calendar for this third edition of the FAI Drone Racing World Cup, up from 16 last year and 9 in 2016. That makes the World Cup the biggest drone racing series around, and means lots more opportunities for both pilots and fans to enjoy the electrifying thrills of top-level drone racing.
The first event will be the 2018 Indonesia Drone Racing World Cup, taking place in Bali on April 6-8.
Prilep, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, will be the venue for the final contest of the 2018 season, which will run on October 13-14.
As in previous years, competitors will participate in a series of races flying multi-rotor drones weighing no more than 1kg.
FAI President Frits Brink said: “The FAI is committed to supporting and promoting drone racing: one of the fastest growing air sports in the world.
“Last year’s FAI Drone Racing World Cup was already a big event, attracting more than 400 participants from a total of 37 different countries. With eight more contests on the calendar, the 2018 edition is on track to be even more successful.
“I look forward to enjoying all the action from the competition alongside drone racing fans around the world.”
The FAI Drone Racing World Cup
The FAI Drone Racing World Cup is a unique event offering fun and excitement for competitors and spectators alike.
It brings together drone racers from all over the world, and gives them a platform from which to show off their considerable skills, while pitting their drones against other top-flight pilots.
With contests in 19 different countries ranging from China to Finland, Brazil to France, and Russia to Australia, it also reflects the international popularity of drone sports.
The 2017 champion, Switzerland’s Dario Neuenschwander, said: “I really enjoyed travelling around the world meeting great pilots during the FAI Drone Racing World Cup. It was an amazing experience.”
Information about the FAI Drone Racing World Cup (calendar, rules, documents, rankings): www.fai.org/world-cups/drone-racing
List of 2018 World Cup events (as of 28 March 2018):
| Event | Location | Dates |
| 2018 Indonesia Drone Racing World Cup | Bali (Indonesia) | 6-8 April |
| 2018 China Drone Racing Open (WDRC Test Match) | Shenzhen (People’s Republic of China) | 11-13 May |
| 2018 Drone Festival Race | Gdynia (Poland) | 19-20 May |
| 2018 Seoul Drone Race World Cup | Seoul (Korea) | 25-27 May |
| 2018 Leiria Drone Race World Cup | Leiria (Portugal) | 9-10 June |
| 2018 WDR Paris World Cup | Bretigny-sur-Orge (France) | 16-17 June |
| 208 Brazil F3U World Cup Drone Racing | Brasilia (Brazil) | 22-24 June |
| 2018 German Drone World Cup | Nördlingen (Germany) | 30 June – 1 July |
| 2018 Cabourg World Cup | Cabourg (France) | 30 June – 2 July |
| 2018 International Drone Race Slovakia – Trencin FPV Cup | Trencin (Slovakia) | 30 June |
| 2018 FPV Racing World Cup | Prilep (Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia) | 7-8 July |
| 2018 Jämi FPV Open | Jämijärvi (Finland) | 21-22 July |
| 2018 Barcelona Drone Racing F3U World Cup | Barcelona (Spain) | 21-22 July |
| 2018 World Cup Russia | Moscow (Russia) | 28-29 July |
| 2018 World Cup Latvia Droneracing | Riga (Latvia) | 10-12 August |
| 2018 Mitteldeutscher FPV Race Cup | Bitterfeld (Germany) | 11-12 August |
| 2018 Daegu Drone Race World Cup | Daegu City (Korea) | 24-26 August |
| 2018 Noosphere Race Cup | Dnipro (Ukraine) | 25-26 August |
| 2018 SRSA Cup | Lausanne (Switzerland) | 31 August 2 September |
| 2018 Royal Adelaide Show FPV | Adelaide (Australia) | 7-9 September |
| 2018 F3U World cup Italy | Magreta di Sassuolo, Modena (Italy) | 8-9 September |
| 2018 F3U Pam Cup | Plovdiv (Bulgaria) | 29-30 September |
| 2018 World Cup Spain – La Rinconada | Seville (Spain) | 5-7 October |
| 2018 Phoenix World Cup | Prilep (Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia) | 13-14 October |
FAI Drone Racing
Multi-rotor FPV – or drone – racing competitions consist of successive races in which several radio controlled model aircraft fight it out to be the fastest around a pre-determined circuit.
The events can take place inside or outside, while each pilot taking part has a helper to assist him or her. The high-tech drones used are equipped with on-board video cameras that transmit FPV (first person view) images to headsets worn by the pilots, allowing them to steer the tiny aircraft around the race circuit.
Notes to editors
FAI promotes Drone Racing activities to the world. The Federation has recently awarded the organisation of the 1st FAI Drone Racing World Championship 2018 (1-4 November) to Shenzhen, China. Furthermore, FAI is developing a global Drone Racing series designed to represent the entire Drone Racing community, all the way from grassroots to elite level.
About FAI
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), also known as the World Air Sports Federation, is the world governing body for air sports and for certifying world aviation and space records. The FAI was founded in 1905 and is a non-governmental and non-profit-making organisation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
FAI activities include Aerobatics, Aeromodelling, Airships, Amateur-Built and Experimental Aircraft, Balloons, Drones, Gliding, Hang Gliding, Helicopters, Manpowered Flying, Microlights, Parachuting, Paragliding, Paramotors, Power Flying and all other Aeronautic and Astronautic sporting activities.
For more details, please contact:
FAI – Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Faustine Carrera
Communication Manager
0041 21 345 10 70
communication@fai.org
