World’s First Drone Race Set Against The NYC Skyline
July 30-31, 2016
High octane extreme sport combining elements of virtual reality, video gaming and NASCAR a first for the NY area.
NEW YORK, NY, May 4, 2016 — The world’s first drone race set against the New York City skyline will take flight July 30-31, 2016. The Liberty Cup will feature 100 of the world’s best pilots racing their drones in a heart-pounding display of the latest advancement in the world of extreme sports.
Drone racing is a new sport in which pilots fly their drones at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour using first-person view (FPV) technology, enabling pilots and the audience to experience the flight of the drone firsthand, in real time, from the birdlike point of view of the drone. Combining elements of virtual reality, video gaming, motorcross and NASCAR, drone racing is the latest sport to be carried on ESPN and The Liberty Cup marks the first time the sport will be seen in the NYC area.
The Liberty Cup offers drone pilots a chance to compete for a variety of prizes and drone fans an opportunity to experience a first-person view of what it’s like to fly. The event will also feature a series of STEM-related programming including flight simulation and demonstrations on how to build drones. The event is brought to you by the creators of the New York City Drone Film Festival.
“Drone racing has similarities with other extreme sports but is a unique experience that almost defies categorization,” said race director Randy Scott Slavin, executive director of Yeah Drones and founder of the NYC Drone Film Festival. “Cars are bound by gravity so the tracks are two-dimensional. Drones don’t have that restriction, so The Liberty Cup will be less like NASCAR and more like a freewheeling rollercoaster ride in the sky.”
The Liberty Cup will be held at The Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ. Pilot registration is currently open. Tickets for the event will be available in June. For more information, visit www.libertycupdroneracing.com.