Drones have evolved. We’ve now got drones designed for delivering parcels, drones for helping lost hikers, drones for repairing broken pipelines… and there’s a drone for racing.

This is exactly what they’ll be doing at the World Drone Prix in Dubai this weekend: this isn’t some tame, anyone-can-enter free-for-all, these guys are serious. With a grand prize of Dhs3.7 million up for grabs though, who wouldn’t be?

Here’s a video produced by the competition that show just how cool drones can be:

The World Drone Prix is the professional drone racing tournament, with the grand prize five times more than that of any other drone competition in the world.

More…
*The winning drones at Drones For Good 2016*
*Dubai from a drone’s perspective*

The qualifying teams have now been flown out to Dubai to take part in the opening event on March 10, as well as the main event on March 11 which includes both freestyle and track races.

If you’ve read this far, and are still unsure as to what a drone, or drone racing is – here’s a quick video showing the qualifying video of one of the drone teams set to race at the World Drone Prix:

The World Drone Prix in Dubai is also the first time a complete drone racing track has ever been custom-built for a drone racing event, here it is (a thing of beauty – we just hope the weather clears up):World Drone Prix
Just like in car racing, the drones are all required to be of similar specifications – which includes similar batteries and air frames to ensure the races are fair. Also, just like in car racing, a whole team is required to take part in the race, with roles including a pilot, navigator, technician, pit stop personnel and a team manager.

There’ll also be awards in 19 different categories up for grabs, including Best Lap Time, Best Free-Style Team, Best Constructor and overall Best Team.

Since arriving in Dubai, the teams have been practicing hard in the run-up to the event this weekend, and can be seen whizzing about in the qualifiers in the two videos below:

So if you’re interested, and fancy cheering on a small flying machine as opposed to say – a horse, or your favourite sports team, then make sure to head down to the Drone World Prix this weekend.

World Drone Prix, Skydive Dubai, Al Sufouh. March 11 to 12, 3pm to 9pm. One day access tickets from Dhs100, two day access tickets from Dhs150. Tel: (04) 3189240. worlddroneprix.com.