Courtesy: DRL
Missing your favorite NBA fantasy rivalry? The Drone Racing League’s got you covered in what’s sure to become the sports antidote to our shared cabin fever.
The DRL is hooking up with FanDuel, giving the fantasy-sports giant access to the 2020 DRL SIM Tryouts Finals, the world’s only player-to-pilot e-sports tournament.
The virtual drone racing showdown live-streams tonight at 9 p.m. EDT on DRL’s Twitter, Twitch and YouTube.
FanDuel will have access to official DRL SIM data, along with league marks and logos to create official daily fantasy contests for the 2020 DRL SIM Tryouts Finals.
“At a time when fans want access to sports competition more than ever, we’re thrilled to live-stream the 2020 DRL SIM Tryouts, a unique e-sport that transforms gamers into pro drone pilots overnight, and reward fans with prizes through our exciting new partnership with FanDuel,” said DRL CEO/Founder, Nicholas Horbaczewski.
Thousands of FPV (First Person View) pilot hopefuls from 75 countries entered the fourth annual tryouts earlier this year. They raced across more than 136,000 heats during 12 qualifying tournaments on the DRL Simulator. Using a drone-racing sim via video-game service Steam, several talented pilots made the final event tonight.
“Tryouts participation skyrocketed by 90 percent since last year and nearly 2 million fans have already live-streamed the online competitions,” a DRL media statement notes.
Viewers of the finals can enter a free contest on FanDuel for the chance to win a share of $3,000 in FanDuel site credit. The contest follows FanDuel’s standard daily fantasy format, and tryout racers will earn points for winning, finishing second or finishing third in each heat as they navigate virtual DRL drones on a “supercharged, 3D track.”
The winning pilot will score a professional league contract and fly as the DRL SIM Pilot in the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship Season.
Merging the virtual with the real, the tryouts winner will race against elite pilots during the 2020 season, flying custom-built DRL Racer4 drones at speeds up to 90 mph through complex courses. Last year’s tryouts winner, Minnesota native Christopher “Phluxy” Spangler, gained the top pilots’ podium three times and won a level event.
“We remain as committed as ever to our fans and we’re currently working to develop new and entertaining games for them to engage with,” said Kip Levin, President, FanDuel. “Partnering up with The Drone Racing League allows us to collaborate with an innovative league as we give our fantasy customers more ways to play.”