Drone racing is the latest non-traditional sport phenomenon, and it has made its way to India, with the Indian Drone Racing League holding its first competition this weekend. The IDRL is the first formal drone racing organization in India and part of 1 Martian Way Corporation’s (1MW) newest venture.
According to IDRL founder Karan Kamdar, the league is funded by 1MW, a privately held aerospace and robotics company based in Mumbai, India focused on making industrial drones and robots.
Kamdar sees the inaugural event as a mission for IDRL pilots and partners to shed some light on the positive aspects of drones despite India recently regulating the importation of drones and their uses within the country’s borders.
“What we really want to showcase is that we are encouraging a new kind of sport where there is so much to learn and benefit from participating in fun, educational and safe drone races,” he added.
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There are currently 50-plus confirmed racing pilots for the IDRL 101 (beginner) race on Saturday and the IDRL Pro Pilot Race Course (experienced) on Sunday. Each pilot will be required to bring their own drone for competition.
The entire race course and race timing system has been designed and implemented by the IDRL community. Pilots will be provided with transponders for timing their laps, and there will be five laps per round. Several qualifying and knockout rounds will lead up to semifinals and finals. The winners will be awarded with an undisclosed amount of cash and various drone racing products from local and international companies.
Kamdar hopes that the first event will accomplish a few goals, including spreading awareness about the importance of drone racing and eventually developing some of the best racing pilots in India who can compete on an international level. Additionally, he wants to introduce more people to the non-traditional sport, make it more mainstream and potentially make it as popular as cricket, a lofty goal for Kamdar and his IDRL team.
“With the success of IDRL, there will be lots of new players and leagues which will in fact help in furthering the sport in the nation,” Kamdar said.
“There are very few people who have really experienced this sport first hand and we want to create drone racing sport heroes who can inspire the coming generations to take this sport to the next level and innovate.”