2017 Drone Racing League Champion Is Jordan ‘Jet’ Temkin

The Drone Racing League has announced that Jordan “Jet” Temkin is the 2017 DRL Allianz World Champion. It’s the second time Temkin has been awarded the title of the “World’s Greatest Drone Pilot”.

Jet won the final race as he sped through the Grand Tour Finish Gate during DRL’s fierce season finale at the Alexandra Palace in London.

After racing against DRL’s eight top pilots during a round robin format and battling it through seven heats, Jet was crowned the DRL World Champion for the second year in a row. In 2016, the 25-year-old pilot from Fort Collins, Colorado came first in DRL’s inaugural season.

“We’re so proud of Jet, a two-time DRL winner, who consistently navigated hairpin, razor sharp turns with precision and speed,” said DRL CEO & founder, Nicholas Horbaczewski. “He has proven himself to be the best drone pilot on the planet, and we can’t wait for him to return for the 2018 Season.”

Jet wins debut season of the Racer3 drone

DRL’s official drone, the Racer3, is used by all pilots in every race of the season. It puts competitors on a level playing field and is capable of hitting speeds over 80mph.

The championship race put Jet’s skills to the test, where he raced the hand-built Racer3 drone through the first ever FPV Power Loop: a series of light gates covering 180 degrees, which forces the drones into an inverted dive at full speed.

DRL recently built a custom drone, the RacerX, and achieved a world record speed of almost 180mph:

“Winning DRL allows me to continue doing what I love: drone racing all day, every day.”

“Being named the 2017 DRL Allianz World Champion feels surreal, and winning for the second season proves that practice pays off,” said Jet. “Winning DRL allows me to continue doing what I love: drone racing all day, every day.”

The 2017 DRL Season Finale premiered Friday night at 9pm EST on ESPN, and will air internationally on Sky, Prosieben, OSN and Disney XD in 75 countries across the world.

The season reached more than 75 million fans around the world, including more than 33 million broadcast viewers and more than 45 million views of its digital content. Partners include title sponsor Allianz, Toy State, Amazon (Prime Video), Swatch, FORTO Coffee Shots and the U.S. Air Force.