Drone racing in California

May 3, 2016

Drone racing in California

Quinn Kelley 0 Comment Sports California, drone racing, drones, Hawthorne

Drone racing leagues would love to follow sports like poker into the mainstream with big TV audiences and sponsorships. But getting sponsors and fans is also a race against time.

: This March 19, 2016, photo shows Drone Racing League founder and CEO Nicholas Horbaczewski at the vacant Hawthorne Plaza mall in Hawthorne, Calif. Horbaczewski is betting he can the transform drone racing from a throw-down among hobbyists into a mainstream spectacle. “To translate from a participatory sport to a professional sport that has a widespread audience, you have to put a lot of thought into how you’re going to do that. And that’s what we really focus on here at DRL,” he said. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: In this March 18, 2016, photo, pilots from the Drone Racing League, from left to right: Chris Haskins, Travis McIntyre, Zach Thayer,Jordan Temkin, Shaun Taylor, Matty Stuntz, Matthew Augustine, and Steve Zoumas pose for a photo at a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. ( AP Photo/Nick Ut)

: In this Saturday, March 19, 2016, photo, pilots from the Drone Racing League watch a race on a large TV backstage at a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. Drone racing leagues would love to follow sports like poker into the mainstream with big TV audiences and sponsorships. But getting sponsors and fans is also a race against time. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: In this March 19, 2016, photo, Drone Racing League pilots Shaun Taylor, from Albuquerque, N.M., left, Zach Thayer, from Laguna Niguel, Calif., center, and Steve Zoumas from Wading River, N.Y., operate their drones during a DRL competition at a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: In this March 18, 2016, photo, Steve Zoumas, from Wading River, N.Y., poses for a photo with his drone at a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. Drone racing leagues would love to follow sports like poker into the mainstream with big TV audiences and sponsorships. But getting sponsors and fans is also a race against time. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

: In this March 19, 2016, photo, a Drone Racing League production crew walks through the race course prior to a race in a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. Pilots race against each other and get points for every gate they successfully navigate, plus more points the faster they finish. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: This March 20, 2016 photo provided by the Drone Racing League shows drones taking off from their launch pad for a race at a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. Drone racing leagues would love to follow sports like poker into the mainstream with big TV audiences and sponsorships. But getting sponsors and fans is also a race against time. (Michael Brian/Drone Racing League via AP)

: In this Saturday, March 19, 2016, photo, Valentina Valentini and her nephew James Lemon, who’s wearing First Person View goggles, watch a drone racing during a race of the Drone Racing League in a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: This Friday, March 18, 2016, photo shows drones readied prior to races held by the Drone Racing League at a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. In drone racing, a crash means bits of plastic go flying, a replacement is grabbed, and no harm done. For now, bragging rights are the main stakes. Drone racing leagues would love to follow sports like poker into the mainstream with big TV audiences and sponsorships. But getting sponsors and fans is also a race against time. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

: In this March 19, 2016, photo, Fred “Flying Bear” Loo watches a drone race with other pilots during a Drone Racing League event in Hawthorne, Calif. Loo, an engineer for a Silicon Valley technology giant, says he’s burned through vacation days, lunch hours and weekends flying drones. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: In this March 19, 2016, photo, Drone Racing League founder and CEO Nicholas Horbaczewski poses for a photo on the race course in a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. Horbaczewski is betting he can the transform drone racing from a throw-down among hobbyists into a mainstream spectacle. “To translate from a participatory sport to a professional sport that has a widespread audience, you have to put a lot of thought into how you’re going to do that. And that’s what we really focus on here at DRL,” he said. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: In this March 19, 2016, photo, Dashel Petranek watches drones race at a Drone Racing League event at a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. The antenna-mounted goggles enable him to see the pilot’s view. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: In this Saturday, March 19, 2016, photo, pilots and family watch drone racing, while wearing First Person View goggles, during a race of the Drone Racing League in a vacant Hawthorne Plaza mall in Hawthorne, Calif. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: In this March 19, 2016, photo, Drone Racing League founder and CEO Nicholas Horbaczewski poses for a photo in an vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. Horbaczewski is betting he can the transform drone racing from a throw-down among hobbyists into a mainstream spectacle. “To translate from a participatory sport to a professional sport that has a widespread audience, you have to put a lot of thought into how you’re going to do that. And that’s what we really focus on here at DRL,” he said. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

: In this March 18, 2016, photo, Drone Racing League founder and CEO Nicholas Horbaczewski holds a racing drone, in a vacant mall in Hawthorne, Calif. Horbaczewski is betting he can the transform drone racing from a throw-down among hobbyists into a mainstream spectacle. “To translate from a participatory sport to a professional sport that has a widespread audience, you have to put a lot of thought into how you’re going to do that. And that’s what we really focus on here at DRL,” he said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

The Darkroom offers Facebook and WordPress commenting in the hopes of fostering constructive conversation among our users. Please abide by our Terms of Service when commenting on the site.

Categories