Drone racing championship wraps up in Moscow (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

UAV pilots from around the world competed at the Russian capital’s Innovation Center

The Mayor’s Cup drone racing championship concluded on Sunday at Moscow’s Skolkovo Innovation Center, with teams from around the world competing in the event.

Drone pilots from 16 teams representing 11 countries, including India, Australia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Kazakhstan, France, Belarus, Germany, Spain, and South Korea, took part in the event. The competition was part of the ‘Unmanned Systems: Technologies of the Future’ forum, which also featured keynote speeches from experts from 30 countries, alongside exhibitions and workshops.

“This is currently the best event in the world for drone racing,” Ilya Galaev, president of the Russian Drone Racing Federation, told RT. “No one else conducts this competition except us; we are now promoting it globally.”

Galaev expressed confidence that drone racing is the future of one of the most spectacular sports, and predicted it could “reach the podium [of the world’s top sports] within the next 50 years.”

RT video footage captured key moments from the finals, with pilots skillfully maneuvering drones through complex obstacle courses at high speed. Wearing first-person-view goggles, they navigated gates, sharp turns, and vertical elements designed to test both precision and control.

“It’s a really big event; we have an audience, which is not something we are used to in drone racing,” said Leon-Gabriel Schubert, a pilot from Germany, calling the event “really impressive.”

Russia’s Belgorod team finished first after two days of races on a custom-built outdoor track. A team from Moscow took second place, while the Leningrad region secured third.

“The Russians, of course, are one of the strongest teams. The Bulgarians and Germans are also really strong,” Indian pilot Kruthart Mohan Chikmagalur told RT, highlighting the level of competition.

“We got a lot of help from the Russian pilots who helped us adapt to this new format,” said Spanish pilot Hugo Lopez, visiting Russia for the first time. “So far, we’ve had a great experience with everyone here.”