Drone racing is a motorsport where participants operate radio-controlled aircraft (typically small quadcopter drones) equipped with onboard digital video cameras, with the operator looking at a compact flat panel display (typically mounted to the handheld controller) or, more often, wearing a head-mounted display (also called a "FPV goggle") showing live-streamed image feed from the aircraft.
Similar to full-size air racing, the goal of the sport is to complete a obstacle course as quickly as possible.
For competitions, aircraft are typically separated into classes, categorizing them by propeller or wheel base size and power.
DR1 Racing utilizes an open-specification class format that relies on each team in the series to supply their own drones, goggles, and gear.
Because of their light weight and electric motors with large amounts of torque, drones can accelerate and maneuver with great speed and agility.
MultiGP is a global and professional drone racing league with over 1000 chapters internationally including locations such as Australia, Asia, South Africa and Europe.
The British Drone Racing League (BDRL) has recently been set up, and will operate a number of professional events.
[40] DRL has raised more than $30 million in venture capital backing from entities across the sports, technology, and media spaces.
Some notable investors include Sky, Liberty Media (also owners of Formula 1), MGM, CAA, Hearst, WWE, Lux Capital, and RSE Ventures.
[41][non-primary source needed] In addition, DRL has sponsors including Allianz, BMW, the US Air Force, and Swatch.
[44][independent source needed] This funding has been crucial to the development of the league and allows them to advertise and hold their races in better venues that will attract larger crowds.