Race Rules & Format

Virtual season race format 2022

6 teams compete both in the DCL World Championship and DCL Women’s Cup 2022. The starting order of match ups in the World Championship is decided by DCL completely at random. The pilot pairings for small heats are decided by teams. The Women’s Cup features all 6 pilots at the same time. The racetracks and surroundings are recreated in great detail and physics based on real drones, so it’s almost identical to what the pilots would experience at a real-life race.


Race rules

To win, you’ve got to play by the rules. Here’s a brief summary for races in real life, virtual, or both.

1 Penalty Cards

Yellow: Warning – two yellows result in red card
Red: Heat disqualification – two reds result in blue card
Blue: Expulsion from race weekend

2 Early Start

If a copter takes off before the Green Light signal, its pilot will be issued a red card for a real life race, or a 1 second time delay in a virtual race.

3 Missed Gate/Obstacle

A pilot who misses a gate must go back and fly through it before progressing, or a red card will be issued.

4 Crash

Pilots who assess that they can continue safely may do so. If all copters crash, the pilot who piloted their copter farthest gets the point. For virtual races, the simulator will reposition them to start again from their crash point on the track.

5 Copter Collisions

Mid-air collisions are not penalized unless deemed intentional. Reckless or unsafe behavior is never tolerated and a penalty card will be issued. (real life races only)

6 Altitude

Pilots must not fly above 5 meters from the ground; if they do, they will receive a penalty card. (real life races only)

7 Distractions

Any team member who touches or disturbs a competitor/competitor’s equipment while the competitor is flying will get a penalty card.

8 Protests

If the protest relates to the current heat, the Team Captain or Team Manager must signal the Chief Judge immediately before the teams are dismissed from the stage.

9 Reruns

DCL Officers will not grant a rerun if mathematically it could not alter the result of the current round.

10 Technical Issue

If a drone doesn’t start or LEDs don’t work, the pilot has one spare drone. If it doesn’t work, the pilot gets a red card. (real life races only)