DENVER. Officials at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International(AUVSI) in Arlington, Virginia, and the International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) in Detroit, Michigan, have partnered to bring professional unmanned vehicle, or drone, racing to life at the 2018 AUVSI XPONENTIAL conference and exhibition in Denver, Colorado, from April 30 through May 3.
“Drone racing is an exciting way for you to see highly skilled drone pilots demonstrating safety and professionalism in this great sport,” AUVSI officials say. “Watch as these racers push the technology and their platforms to the edge.”
Attendees will be able to see professional first-person-view (FPV) unmanned vehicle operators demonstrate speed, agility, and hours of training as they navigate the course to win the coveted prize.
Image courtesy of IDRA / Justin Haggerty
The IDRA will hold one of its international drone races for the 2018 Challengers Cup at AUVSI XPONENTIAL taking place in Denver, Colorado, from April 30 to May 3, 2018. Tickets for the races, held on May 1 and May 2, will be available for sale through the AUVSI XPONENTIAL website.
The race will feature several of the top pilots in the world as they race head-to-head to earn valuable points to gain a position in the Top 32 ranked pilots, IDRA officials say. At the end of the series, the Top 32 ranked pilots will compete for the world championship at the 2018 Challengers Cup Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The partnership with AUVSI provides IDRA an opportunity to showcase the sport and talented pilots to hundreds of the industry’s most affluent companies and organizations.
“We greatly appreciate AUVSI for giving IDRA the opportunity to bring one of the 2018 Challengers Cup’s largest international races to XPONENTIAL 2018 in Denver,” says Justin Haggerty, the founder and CEO of IDRA. “Not only is Denver a great city to hold such an event, but XPONENTIAL gives IDRA the best platform to promote the sport to hundreds of companies in the unmanned systems industry. Most important to IDRA is providing a platform for pilots to continue to gain recognition, grow their brands, and network with potential sponsors and corporate partners.”
“XPONENTIAL brings together the most creative minds working on issues face the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) industry today,” says Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. “A drone race at XPONENTIAL is an opportunity to showcase how UAS technology is advancing, particularly when it comes to agility and speed.”
The 2018 Challengers Cup Series is a semi-professional series of 25 international events. The series will begin in Phoenix, Arizona, USA and conclude in Bogota, Columbia. Pilots compete for a position in the Challengers Cup Finals, determined by the Top 32 Pilot Rankings, based on total points earned during the series.
UAS/drone racing is a worldwide sport that utilizes UAS and virtual reality (VR) technology to allow a new breed of innovators to compete on the international stage. There are roughly 100 drone competitions in the U.S. annually and 200 worldwide competitions, highlighted by races like IDRA’s 2016 World Drone Prix in Dubai, 2017 Dover Internationals at the Dover International Speedway with NASCAR, and 2017 Challengers Cup Finals at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Registration for XPONENTIAL 2018 has opened. For tickets and more information, visit www.xponential.org.
The International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) is a for-profit association founded on the belief that competition drives innovation, and that drone racing is the next evolution of motorsports. IDRA believes in growing this awesome new industry by organizing historic drone racing competitions like the semi-professional Challengers Cup and professional Drone Racing Series. The IDRA’s core mission is to grow this amazing community of tinkerers, dreamers, and innovators.
AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2018 unites the global community of drone, intelligent robotics, and unmanned systems leaders to shape the future of the industry. Featuring the largest and most comprehensive trade show, this event is the spot to learn from daily keynotes with tech visionaries and 200+ world-class sessions as well as connect with 8,500+ industry pros and business experts from 20+ industries.
AUVSI represents the views of the unmanned systems and robotics community to government officials, regulators, media, and the public. The organization is committed to shaping global policy by advocating on behalf of the unmanned systems and robotics community, monitoring legislation, and assessing the global impact of the industry to ensure that obstacles to advancing and fielding these technologies are removed.
