05 Apr 2019

New Masters Series announced for the FAI Drone Racing World Cup

FAI drone racing is evolving, with the launch of an exciting new Masters Series of events designed to attract elite drone racers from around the world.

Today, the FAI is delighted to reveal the first two Masters events for 2019. These will be:

  • FAI North American Drone Masters in Hamburg, New York (USA), 10-11 August 2019
  • Jeju FAI World Drone Masters in Jeju City (Korea), 4-6 October 2019

The new Masters Series is part of the FAI Drone Racing World Cup and will be run in addition to the existing Challenger Series.

It will culminate in the FAI World Drone Racing Championship Grand Final which will take place at the end of the year in China. The top three competitors from each Masters Series event will automatically qualify for the Grand Final.

Details of the first two Masters Series events were announced today at the FAI Aeromodelling Commission annual meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Commenting on the launch of the Masters Series, Antonis Papadopoulos, President of the FAI Aeromodelling Commission, said: “Drone racing is one of the fastest growing air sports in the world.

“As more and more people take up the sport, it is important for FAI competition strategy to evolve to ensure it meets the needs of pilots coming up through the ranks as well as those who have already achieved top world rankings and want to pit their skills against the best in the world.

“Adding these high-profile events to the competition calendar should also make it easier for fans to follow their drone racing heroes.”

Challenger World Cup Series

As in previous years, FAI Drone Racing World Cup events (now called Challenger events) can be organised by any group that conforms to FAI requirements and are open to all pilots with an FAI sporting licence or drone permission.

NEW Masters World Cup Series

Organisers of Master Series events must conform to strict guidelines regarding competition quality, media coverage and audience attendance. The top 20 pilots on the World Ranking List will be invited to participate in these events.

FAI World Drone Racing Championship Grand Final

The FAI World Drone Racing Championship Grand Final will involve the World Cup pilots with the best results and will include Individual Overall, Female, Junior and National team classifications. The competition will take place in China at the end of this year.