Skybound Triumph: Zephatali Walsh Seals Historic Victory in World’s First Three-Way eVTOL Aerial Showdown

Airspeeder’s Groundbreaking Race at Stonefield Airfield Signals the Future of High-Speed Aerial Competition, Paving the Way for the Airspeeder Grand Prix Series

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

Airspeeder, a promoter focused on eVTOL racing, recently announced that Zephatali Walsh was the winner of the world’s first three-way eVTOL race held at Stonefield Airfield, South Australia. Walsh competed against former FPV pilot Lexie Janson and Bruno Senna in the remotely-piloted contest, which was conducted using Alauda Aeronautics MKIII model eVTOLs in challenging, wet and windy conditions. Walsh had previously won two earlier editions of the contest held since last year. 

Supported by partners Intel, Acronis, IWC, Saltwater Games, and Telstra Purple, along with the South Australian Government, the event took place in front of over 100 spectators, featuring EMG cameras with live 1080i video feeds mounted to the “Speeders” and streamed via RF. The NEP group took leadership over the live sports broadcast, which served as an important proof of concept for a potentially game-changing form of aerial competition. The Alauda Aeronautics MKIII flying racecar is 4.1 meters long and features a carbon-fiber airframe and a top speed of 100 km/h. It is capable of reaching 62 mph in less than 3 seconds. 

According to the organizers, this race is just a peek into the future of racing in the sky, with battery-swapping pitstops and strategic competition in the remotely paving the way for fully-crewed “Airspeeder Grand Prixs” beginning next year. 

Alauda has already unveiled its fully-crewed model, the Mk4, with a top speed of 225 mph and a maximum range of up to 188 miles. Powered by hydrogen, Alauda touts it as the fastest eVTOL ever made. Beyond racing, Alauda has plans to market future editions in what they hope will be a fast-growing flying car market. 

More information on Airspeeder and eVTOL racing is available here. Ian McNabb is a staff writer based in Boston, MA. His interests include geopolitics, emerging technologies, environmental sustainability, and Boston College sports.