Photo courtesy of DRL
Drones race through a gate during a Drone Racing League competition. The DRL’s Algorand World Championship Season finale is set for 6:30 p.m. today outside T-Mobile Arena.
Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022 | 2 a.m.
At this stage of his life, Evan Turner imagined he’d be in college studying to become a doctor like others in his family.
Instead, the 18-year-old from Tennessee is taking a different path — and piloting work-class drones to get there.
Turner will be one of the featured pilots at 6:30 tonight when the Drone Racing League hosts the finale of the 2021-22 DRL Algorand World Championship Season outside of T-Mobile Arena.
The drones will fly around the aerial course at speeds near 100 mph in the finale of a series that combines esports and drone-racing. It will be staged on the opening night of the CES gadget show, bringing together tech innovators for a glimpse at the latest in drone technology.
It’s such a big event that Grammy Award-winning rock band Weezer is providing a free concert at the event.
“I’m so excited to be in Vegas,” said Turner, whose racing moniker is “HeadsUp” and who is the youngest champion in the six-year history of the league. “Vegas is such a cool city and so welcoming of tech — it fits so well with drone racing.
“Putting drone racing in the heart of CES will be incredible. It will be good to be in front of so many people (in the tech community) and continue to open their eyes about drone racing.”
Turner, like many children, spent too much time playing video games. Also like many children, Turner was competitive. He saw drone racing on television and had to give it a try.
Then, he started winning races. Soon, it became a lifestyle for him.
When he’s not racing drones, he’s working on them. When he’s not working on them, he’s studying a course and preparing for the next race.
In 2020, while finishing his senior year of high school, Turner took first in 70% of the 80 heats in which he competed.
“That’s the beautiful thing about drone racing,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you are the biggest kid or the fastest kid because when you put on the goggles, it’s a level playing field.”
The goggles provide First Person View (FPV), where pilots controlling the drones see a live stream from cameras on the drone to give the feeling that they are piloting from inside the device. The league consists of 12 pilots.
The Drone Racing League is a 21st century sports property, said Anne Marie Gianutsos, the league’s chief marketing officer. The rush of virtual and physical competition is unlike any other. Fans are attracted to everything from the speed, the drones illuminating with a thousand LED lights, to the potential for a close finish, she said.
“We understand there are many people in the world that get excited about tech and gaming,” Gianutsos said. “Drones are becoming a centerpiece of the culture moment.”
The league has been featured on NBC networks and contested in venues like the FedExForum in Nashville, Tenn., and Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. But being in Las Vegas during CES takes the league to new heights.
“We think of Las Vegas as a city with bright lights, and drone racing is a sport of bright lights,” Gianutsos said.
