It’s on: New virtual Drone Champions League 2020 calendar revealed


The Drone Champions League season will go ahead with a high-powered, multi-stop international calendar this year, shifting to a new format that’s entirely virtual. Reaching speeds of 160km/h, eight top international teams will take on fresh challenges and more tracks than ever using DCL – The Game. At stake: The World Championship of professional drone racing teams.

Vaduz, LIECHTENSTEIN, 14 May 2020 – As usual, the fifth season of DCL competition will include a heart-racing series of Drone Grand Prix events showcasing the skills of the world’s best professional drone racing teams. But while the pilots will be real, the locations will be virtual, presented with mind-blowing authenticity on DCL – the Game. Here’s how it will all play out…

Locations: The first virtual Drone Grand Prix of the season takes off in July with a return to the home of DCL, Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Then, in the peak of summer’s heat, the action will sizzle in the bespoke virtual world of Proptown, USA. Also in August, the teams will challenge one of the most iconic settings in the history of the DCL, the Great Wall of China. And finally, the online format will enable an unprecedented finale as the teams go all out for the crown across two Swiss locations in one weekend, the glacial terrain of LAAX and the scenic paradise of Lake Zurich.

Teams: As usual, eight teams of four pilots compete at each Drone Grand Prix. Seven of the teams are permanent, vying for the World Championship. At every stop, one Wildcard Team is selected to compete for the single location victory.

Tracks: Each location will challenge the pilots with not just one, but two specially built tracks.

Brackets: Qualifying decides the order for the race weekend. The first-place team in Qualifying is paired with the least successful (eighth place), second-best with seventh place, and so on.

Format: The virtual season will feature a double heat, knockout format: In the opening round (eight teams), two pilots from one team go up against two pilots from the opposing team. Head-to-head, they battle over six heats – three heats on Track 1 and three heats on Track 2. Then the remaining two pilots from each of the opposing teams complete their own six heats on the same tracks. After all four pilots from each team have raced, the team with the most points advances to the Semi-Finals (four teams). There, the process is repeated until just two teams reach the Final, racing to decide the Virtual Drone Grand Prix winner. Points are awarded, and at the end of the season, the team with the most points will be the 2020 World Champions.

Drone Champions League CEO Herbert Weirather said, “We’ve worked hard to find a way to deliver the sport to fans on every corner of the globe while prioritizing the health and safety of our competitors, spectators and host cities. The flexibility of the gaming world made it possible to take the calendar virtual and we’re going to pack entertainment into every stop.” Weirather continued, “With the amazing skills of these teams, the realism of the tracks on DCL – The Game and a World Champion to be crowned at the end, you’d better believe that it’s still going to be an exciting season. The pilots are absolutely raring to go.”

Each DCL Virtual Drone Grand Prix is broadcast live, worldwide on TV and online.

For information on how to watch the virtual season: www.dcl.aero.

For more information on DCL – The Game: www.dcl.aero/game/features.

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DCL Virtual Drone Grand Prix Season 2020

17-18 July:                Vaduz, Liechtenstein

7-8 August:               Proptown, USA

21-22 August:            Great Wall, China

2-3 October:             LAAX/Lake Zurich, Switzerland

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