A 3D digital animation of the drone racing track in Shenzhen, China gives a first person view of a drone as it races through the twists, turns and obstacles of this incredible track.

Being built for the 1st FAI World Drone Racing Championships in China from 1-4 November 2018, the track will be 650m long and divided into three vertical layers, with a vertical height difference of six metres.

Designed to be flown at any time of day or night, it will truly become spectacular after dark – with 7,000m of pulsating multi-coloured LED lighting woven into its framework.

Racing the track will demand high skills from pilots as they race at speed around the course.

As pilots fly the track they must not only control the drone on a flat plane, they must control in the vertical space, ducking and diving above and below each obstacle, following the layout of the track.

The organisers of the 1st FAI World Drone Racing Championships in Shenzhen, China called it, “The perfect combination of beauty and technology.”

FAI Judge Eric Li-Koo said he was impressed: “China has done exactly what we expected, which is to produce an absolute stunning looking track that is going to look amazing on video, through the goggles and any media they choose to broadcast it on."

For pilots, “It looks like  a fast track. It looks like it is going to be all about who can stay in the air, and also who can last the distance.

“The chicanes seem to be stretched out a little more, the straights are longer, the entire track is long at 650m. The natural reaction of most pilots will be, 'Oh wow, it's a battery-killer!' It's going to take so much more throttle management to get through, but then that's racing.”

He added: “Pilots will have to tune their skills and equipment to suit it. It will be up to the pilots to decide what their flying style and racing style will be.”

Built in the Shenzhen Universiade Center Stadium the track has been specially designed to counteract any signal interference caused by the steel structure of the sports stadium.

The track designers are using a “multi-point image transmission signal reception system” to improve the stability and clarity of the drone image transmission signal. This means pilots will have the clearest view possible through their headsets, allowing for fast racing.

Additionally, the track is made to respond to the speed of the drones as they race. The miles of LED lights are designed to change colour according to the flying speed of the drones. This will offer a unique visual experience for spectators in the stadium and watching online.

Flying it, Eric said, would be an “amazing opportunity” for pilots in an “amazing environment.”

Credit: EreaDrone