WASHINGTON —聽Drone racing is a small but growing sport. Now, the high-tech and very fast-paced sporting competition聽is heading to ESPN.
The sports network聽announced Wednesday that it has signed a multi-year contract with the 聽to televise the sport on ESPN3 this summer starting with the U.S. National Drone Racing Championships.
The race will take place in New York City from Aug. 5 to Aug. 7, according to ESPN’s聽. Pilots will fly multi-propeller unmanned aerial vehicles聽at high speeds up to 120 miles an hour around a race course, and the winner will be crowned the聽fastest drone pilot in America.
Nick Horbaczewski, the Drone Racing League聽CEO and founder, told that drone racing offers the audience more than just a thrill of the race.
Horbaczewski says the cameras mounted on the drones make viewers feel like they are聽in the聽pilot’s seat with the help of聽real-time video feeds.
According to ESPN, drone racing is seeing an unprecedented rise in popularity and could become the next major racing sport alongside NASCAR and Formula 1 racing.
