Win the DRL SIM Tryouts, Become a Drone Racing Pro in Real Life
BY Zacc Dukowitz
21 June 2023If you’ve always dreamed of being an FPV drone racing pilot, now is your chance to shoot for the moon.
DRL—the premier venue for drone racing in the world—is currently holding tryouts on its drone racing simulator, the DRL SIM.
If you can beat the competition, you have a chance at getting a contract with DRL for the 2023-24 DRL Algorand World Championship Season as the official DRL SIM Pilot.
That’s right—if you win on the simulator, you could get a real contract to be a drone racing pro.
How the DRL SIM Tryouts Work
The tryouts start with a Qualifier Circuit, narrowing the group of racing pilots down to just 64 that will go on to compete for the DRL contract.
Those 64 pilots will compete in an esports tournament series until only one emerges as the ultimate winner, and gets the contract with DRL.
Credit: DRL
Here’s the timeline for the DRL SIM Tryouts:
Start by registering for the DRL SIM tryouts
Once registered, here are the important dates for the competition:
- July 3 – 10—Qualifier Circuit. Compete to set your fastest time in the DRL SIM and secure your spot with the 64 pilots moving to the next round. (Competition opens at 10AM EST on July 3 and closes at 12PM EST on July 10.)
- July 11 – 12—Stage 1. Four esports tournaments will winnow down the pilots to a smaller group.
- July 13—Stage 2. Two more esports tournaments will further winnow the group of pilots, resulting in the finalists who will compete for the contract.
- July 14—Grand Final. A final race determines the winner!
As you can see, the schedule is pretty grueling.
But if drone racing is your passion and you’ve been looking for your chance to break out and shoot for the pros, this competition is an incredible opportunity to skyrocket you all the way into a professional contract.
How to Get Ready
Know you want to compete?
Then you better get practicing. Download the DRL SIM now and start putting in the hours so you’ll be ready to go when the Qualifiers Circuit opens on July 3 at 10AM EST.
Pro tip: The Qualifiers Circuit is open for seven days. If you need a little more time getting used to DRL’s simulator, then take it—you don’t have to do your qualifying race until July 10 by 12PM EST.
The Upcoming DRL Algorand World Championship Season
Last year DRL kicked off the 2022-23 season by announcing a partnership with Google Cloud, which was noted in the title of the race—DRL Race in the Cloud.
Through the partnership, developers were able to compete in the Google Cloud Fly Cup Challenge, a competition aimed at boosting cloud skills and driving innovation in drone racing with Google’s cloud platform.
Developers used actual DRL race data to predict the outcome of races and give DRL pilots tips to help them perform better during the season.
A standout race for the season was the Miami 3-0-FLY championship race held at LoanDepot Park. For that race, the LoanDepot baseball stadium was transformed into a video-game inspired, neon-colored aerial course.
We know a thing or two about racing in Miami 😏🏝 #drone #racing #sports #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/OCIbNUsZ6x
— Drone Racing League (@DroneRaceLeague) May 7, 2023
DRL is truly a global drone racing league. Last year, races occurred in Australia, Italy, and other far flung locations throughout the world.
The 2023-24 season promises to continue that trend, with new locations to be announced throughout the world. The season will feature 12 of the top FPV drone racing pilots in the world, competing in real life at iconic sports arenas and exotic locations, in DRL SIM virtual maps—and in a metaverse world.
