DRONE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2020 CALENDAR UNVEILED


Drone Champions League, the recognized championship of professional drone racing teams, will fly at five spectacular locations in 2020. Among them, the 160km/h action will debut in two major world capitals.

The scheduled calendar and format are subject to change, keeping in mind the current prevalence of Covid-19 and prioritizing the health and safety of our competitors, spectators and host cities.

Ruggell, LIECHTENSTEIN, 28 January 2020 – The five locations mark the fifth season of DCL competition, with eight top international teams going head-to-head in a hybrid sport that combines the excitement of e-gaming with the thrills of physical flight.

Draft Selection, London – The season takes off this spring with a historic UK debut in London, at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in trendy Shoreditch. The nailbiting competition will start with the DCL Draft Selection, as aspiring pros slug it out on DCL – The Game.

Drone Grand Prix Vaduz – For the third time, the drones will come home for a classic clash at DCL’s home base, the charming mountain city of Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The race will bring big action to the tiny country, as the LED-lit drones flash by Liechtenstein’s Parliament on a notoriously technical course.

Drone Grand Prix Moscow – Early August marks another milestone, as the championship makes its Russian premiere in Moscow. Spectators will get an eyeful when the international rivals bring the heat at one of the capital’s most iconic landmarks, Gorky Park. The cheers will be loudest for Russia’s own Drone Sports team, podium finishers in the 2019 championship who are keen to impress in their first home race.

Drone Grand Prix Simatai – The dramatic Simatai Great Wall will host the season’s penultimate Drone Grand Prix, as the DCL returns to the WTown resort area of Beijing, China after an electrifying debut in 2018. In a late-summer showdown, the home China Dragons team will have the crowds on their feet; but the ruthless twists, turns and level changes of this track will put every team to the test.

Drone Grand Prix Lake Zurich – The DCL season wraps up with a return to Switzerland, where the 2020 crown will be presented at the towering medieval Castle of Rapperswil on the shores of Lake Zurich. But that’s only after a fierce joust for the honor across two sensational days of racing. With everything on the line, this October finale will be one for the ages.

“I’m so excited for this fifth season of DCL racing. The technology and skills of the teams have escalated exponentially over the years, and the competition will be extremely tight,” says Drone Champions League CEO Herbert Weirather. “Additionally, we’re collaborating with our partners to deliver an immersive experience with activities and entertainment at each stop. So whether fans are watching the live broadcasts or witnessing the races live, there’s a lot to look forward to.”

DCL Draft Selection

In the DCL, everyone has a chance to become a professional drone racing pilot, and DCL – The Game gives players their shot at being recruited. More information on the draft selection, including qualifying dates, will be available when DCL – The Game is released on 18 February 2020.

Each DCL race is broadcast live, worldwide on TV and online.

For information on how to watch in person or live on TV and online: www.dcl.aero.

For more information on DCL – The Game, launching on 18 February 2020: www.game.dcl.aero

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Drone Champions League Calendar 2020

1 – 3 May: London, UK

TBA: Vaduz, Liechtenstein

7-8 August: Moscow, Russia

21-22 August: Simatai, China

2-3 October: Lake Zurich, Switzerland

About the Drone Champions League

The Drone Champions League (DCL) is the recognized championship for professional drone racing teams: an innovative race series that blurs the lines between virtual and reality to serve up a new era of sports entertainment. Since 2016 the DCL has drawn the world’s best drone pilots, who qualify for each race in DCL – The Game and then go on to compete on eight international teams in some of the world’s most spectacular real-life settings, from buzzing global capitals to surreal natural wonders.

Each DCL race is broadcast live, worldwide on TV and also online. From the Great Wall of China to the Champs-Elysées – where 180,000 spectators lined the boulevard – the LED-lit racing drones dart through the custom tracks head-to-head, flashing by fans at speeds of more than 160 km/h as the pilots fly them using virtual reality goggles. First to the finish wins, and with margins breathtakingly tight, contact happens. The daring maneuvers of bold pilots can boost drones to victory or send them tumbling.

DCL – The Game offers complete engagement with the sport and a high-speed experience in your own home. Players of all experience levels fly 27 drone racing tracks, including 1:1 virtual replicas of the original DCL tracks, with contenders in the highest mode battling for places in the actual DCL Draft Selection, allowing players from the game to be recruited into the real-life series.

DCL partners include Red Bull, Breitling, MyWorld and IQONIQ. For more information: www.dcl.aero

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