After his breathtaking performances across the five challenging events of the 2024 season, Swan Versmissen of France has been proclaimed the champion of the inaugural FAI e-Drone Racing World Cup.

This is the 18-year-old pilot’s second major FAI title, having won the 2023 FAI E-Drone Racing Cup at the FAI World Drone Racing Championships in Korea last year. With his lightning-fast reactions, Versmissen beat his 15-year-old Serbian opponent Kirill Loban, and 21-year-old Krutharth Mohan Chickmagalur (“M C”) from India, who took third place.

See full event video on EreaDrone Youtube Channel

Overall Results

1. Swan Versmissen, France 
2. Kirill Loban, Serbia
3. Krutharth Mohan Chickmagalur, India

Full rankings

Season summary

The season featured five events which were spread throughout the year, with 140 participating pilots representing 40 countries. For all five events, the pilots used exactly the same drone model with the same specs. The only differences were the rate settings (equivalent of control sensibilities). For each event, the drone had different skins, allowing sponsors’ logos to be displayed.

• See images from the FAI E-Drone Racing World Cup

The edrone model with ski from the Alpine stage

EVENT 1: INAUGURAL

The first step of the 2024 FAI e-Drone Racing World Cup. Qualifications for the event began on 20 May, followed by the competition phases on the 15-16 June. A cash pool of 1800 USD was up for grabs, and Alexandre ‘FunKa’ Verrier commentated as the 75 participants took on the Italy 2024 World Cup Track, all vying to claim the prize.

Vermissen took the lead, followed by Krutharth Mohan Chickmagalur ‘MC’ of India, and Serbia’s Kirill Loban.

• See all Inaugural Event results

Event 1 Podium

1. Swan VERSMISSEN – FRA ‘YAYOU’
2. Krutharth Mohan Chickmagalur – IND ‘IonFPV’
3. Kirill LOBAN – SRB ‘Valprim’

EVENT 2: ALPINE

For the first time, this e-drone event took place in a completely imaginary track, in the Alpine environment created by EreaDrone. In addition, the track was an A-to-B track, meaning that the start gate and the finish gate are two different gates and that the track is not a loop.

Fifty-seven competitors took on the 2700m long course on 3-4 August, having qualified during July. The race was commentated by Matt Andrews.

• See all Alpine Event results

Event 2 Podium 

1. Krutharth Mohan Chickmagalur – IND ‘IonFPV’
2. Kirill LOBAN – SRB ‘Valprim’
3. Swan VERSMISSEN – FRA ‘YAYOU’

Capture of Swan Vermissern 'YAYOU' racing around the Harbour Track

 

EVENT 3: HARBOUR

Another fictional track for the third event of the season, this time over the ocean and around a harbour environment. Qualifications took place in August, with the competition on 7-8 September.

The 40 edrones swerved around shipping containers on the A-to-B track, and it was Versmissen who was once back in the top spot, ahead of his team mate Guillaume Bailleau and Krutharth M C in third.

• See all Harbour Event results

Event 3 Podium:

1. Swan VERSMISSEN – FRA ‘YAYOU’
2. Guillaume BAILLEAU – FRA ‘ Fenoman’
3. Krutharth Mohan Chickmagalur – IND ‘IonFPV’

EVENT 4: WDRC

This event took place from 9-10 November, on the same track of the 2024 FAI World Drone Racing Championship in Hangzhou, China, with Matt Andrews commentating again. A cash prize pool of 1500 USD tempted the 60 participating pilots, and was once again bagged by Versmissen, although Loban and Mohan Chickmagalur slipped out of the top three. This gave space for the top female pilot, 13-year-old Yiran Sheng of China, known as ‘DuoNaFPV’ to reach the podium in second place, and 16-year-old Batu Erilkun of Turkey to take third – an impressive score for his first race in the season.

• See all WDRC results

Event 4 Podium:

1. Swan VERSMISSEN – FRA ‘YAYOU’
2. Yiran SHENG - CHN (Female) ‘DuoNaFPV’
3. Batu ERILKUN – TUR ‘BatuFPV’

EVENT 5: SAUDI ARABIA

This event, commissioned by the SAFCSP (Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones), sent the EreaDrone production team to Riyadh at the FAI General Conference venue to organise and produce the livestream. Read about the Saudi Arabia event. 

The qualifications took place from 11-17 November, with the competition running from 17-19 November. This event’s 800m loop track had a specially created environment, inspired by the Al-Ula (Saudi Arabia) Elephant Rock (Jabal Al-Fil), a breathtaking place with 650 metres of zigzags and tight bends that made full use of the 52-metre-high rock and surrounding terrain. For the first time, the event was led by a female pilot: Yiran Sheng, who claimed top spot ahead of the 56 other pilots.

• See all Saudi Arabia event results

Event 5 Podium:

1. Yiran SHENG - CHN (Female) ‘DuoNaFPV’
2. Elmars MISEVICS – LAT ‘Emis_FPV’
3. Max HEILIGMAN – USA ‘gman’

EreaDrone stadium track