By Saleh Fareed

RABIGH — The first professional drone racing ever in the Kingdom has concluded Friday at King Abdulaziz Economic City (KAEC) with more than 4,000 spectators attending the final round.

With the partnership of Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority (GSA) for the 7th and final race in 2018 Allianz World Championship, DRL brought the final eight FPV pilots to race their custom-built drones.

Eight Drone Racing League (DRL) pilots raced custom-built drones FPV (First Person View) around a competitive course inside the building, right through the heart of the vehicle exhibition, at well over 120 kilometers an hour.

The exciting drone competition offers Saudi and expat fans an up-close view of insane, high-speed drone racing that’s been described as the most thrilling video game. Men, women, and children cheered on the international pilots who battled it out all night long through a complex, three-dimensional racecourse at KAEC.

CEO/Founder, Nicholas Horbaczewski spoke to Saudi Gazette as he was getting prepared for the final stage of DRL. He said: “It is a new sport in Saudi Arabia but it seems that there is a bright future for the drone racing here because I noticed there is a great support from the Saudi government to such sports and events. Therefore, I think the young generation of Saudi Arabia is very lucky to have such a supportive government.”

He added, “We’re thrilled to partner with the GSA of Saudi Arabia to deliver the sport of the future directly to new fans internationally.”

Horbaczewski said although many fans came to watch these final races live, others inside and outside Saudi Arabia had the chance to tune in online or watch via networks including ESPN, Sky Sports, Disney XD, Prosieben, Fox Asia and Saudi TV.

At the end of the thrilling day, Nouf Abdullah Al-Rakan, executive director of the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming (SAFCSP), and Nicholas Horbaczewski, CEO of DRL presented awards to winners.