Australia's Rudi Browning beat 127 other racers of all ages in a four-day competition to win the first FAI World Drone Racing Championships title on Sunday.
Switzerland's Timothy Trowbridge hit an average speed of 114.2382 kilometers per hour across two separate runs of the 100m track, setting the new FAI world record.
Eleven-year old Thai girl Wanraya Wannapong won the women's championship, and Oscar Nilsson from Sweden won the Juniors title. Meanwhile, China's 14-year-old Hu Qianti ranked second with 105.067 seconds among the juniors.
Opening ceremony of the World Drone Racing Championships /Xinhua Photo
In teams competition, Australia won the gold medal, with Sweden taking silver and South Korea settling for bronze.
The 650-meter-long race track is built in the shape of a "Chinese knot" and featured three levels. Decorated with 7,000 meters of LED lights, it creates unique visual experience for pilots from 34 countries and more than 10,000 spectators.
Future E-sports or airborne F1?
Originated from aeromodelling, flying drone racing is seen as a sport without controversy, but insiders say standards need to be improved to increase its competitiveness and visual effects.
"We hope to improve the audience experience by changing format and competition rules, deploying larger air vehicles for instance," said Chinese national drone racing team main coach Li Dan.
Formula One leads technology revolution in car industry to some extent, will drone racing also boost the development of drone industry?
According to Li Dan, every drone used in a competition is composed of around 1,200 parts, including frame, power generator, controller, battery, flying navigation system, micro airborne computer, image acquisition and transfer system, and so on. Under extreme condition testing, its feedback is invaluable to any manufacturers. However, it is still way to go before it applies to consumer products at the current stage.
Drones fly over the New York skyline during the practice event before the National Drone Racing Championship in New York, August 5, 2016. /VCG Photo
China's role: From manufacture to leading the tide
Event organizer, Secretary General of the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, also known as World Air Sports Federation) Susanne Schodel said "it is the best drone racing competition I have ever seen. The industry has seen rapid growth during the past three years, with 50 percent of annual rise since the first international drone competition launched in 2016. We are also excited to see exponential growth in pilots' number, especially in girls and young people."
Shenzhen beat Barcelona and Albuquerque of US to become the first city to host the world top event of drone racing.
It is estimated that manufacturing firms from Shenzhen possessed over 70 percent of the world drone market, where is widely seen as China's tech hub and the "capital of drones."
"The heart of the drone economy beats vibrantly here, and the city has a buzzing atmosphere that fits perfectly with the thrill of drone racing," FAI president Frederick Brink said earlier.
(With input from Xinhua)