Monday, 14 March 2016 - 13:30
Dutch drone-flying squad takes €25,000 Dubai prize
Dutch team Super Quadcopter Gang came in 4th place at the World Drone Prix in Dubai, the first major drone tournament in the world. And with that they won a prize of 25 thousand dollars.
"Fantastic!", team member Martijn de Kemp said to Bright.nl from Dubai. The races were raced with first-person view drones, which give pilots a live image from the drone on a pair of video glasses. "It's a sport in which much skill is involved, because an accident can come from a small corner."
The Dutch team consists of a group of friends from Amsterdam and Utrecht, and De Kemp believes this contributed to their success. "We are very close, within the group everyone has a role and takes it seriously."
The Dutch team was disqualified in the last round due to a mistake in steering, in which the driver landed on the wrong pits stop. But fourth place is more than they every expected.
The United Kingdom, with their 15 year old drone-pilot, walked away with the 250 thousand dollar first prize.
https://youtu.be/5F4Ixz-7pmY