It’s not rare to see people from around the world travelling to Dubai in search of a fortune, but normally they aren’t all taking their own drones. This week the first ever World Drone Prix will take place in the United Arab Emirates, and top pilots from all over the globe will be battling it out for a chunk of a $1 million prize pot.
Following a series of pre-qualifying events held in in Los Angeles, Seoul, Berlin and cities across China this year, teams will arrive in Dubai to compete for 32 top spots for the grand prix race.
Pre-qualifying for the big race starts today, with over 100 competitors fighting for a place in the inaugural World Drone Prix, which will take place on March 11 and 12 . The competition will be streamed live on the official Drone World Prix website.
The governing body, World Organization of Racing Drones (WORD), is in charge of organising the event and designing the impressive outdoor track. It’s thought that there has been substantial backing from Sheikh Hamdan, crown prince of Dubai, as the UAE look to pioneer and promote the advancement of drone sports and technology.
From a look at the course and the event itself, Drone Grand Prix should be the biggest event of its kind ever – although its official website certainly still leaves a lot to be desired. It’ll hope to compete with the Drone Racing League in the global UAV sports market. By giving pilots around the world a shot at taking part it has a great chance of doing exactly that. We’ll bring you some more news from the event in Dubai soon.
Malek Murison is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for tech trends and innovation. He handles product reviews, major releases and keeps an eye on the enthusiast market for DroneLife.
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Twitter:@malekmurison
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