Drone Racing League Latest: Where DRL Stands and Where Its Pilots Went

The Drone Racing League’s most recent event is still the one it staged on February 1, 2025. It brought twelve pilots, a light show and a racecourse to loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins. DRL’s official site lists nothing after it, and the league has not announced a 2026 season.

The last DRL event: Miami, February 2025

The DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational ran at 7pm on Saturday February 1, 2025, presented by the U.S. Air Force. DRL turned the ballpark into a 3D course and flew its spec drones at up to 90 mph. The league’s own announcement confirms a live event with twelve pilots.

The Miami field

The same announcement noted that Infinite Reality Inc. had acquired DRL earlier in 2024.

What DRL built

It is easy to forget how big DRL got. Founded by Nicholas Horbaczewski, it launched publicly in January 2016 and raised a $12 million Series A that year. A $20 million Series B followed in 2017, along with sponsors including Allianz, BMW and Lockheed Martin. Its races aired on NBC and Sky Sports, among others.

DRL’s champions tell the story of the sport’s first era:

In January 2021, DraftKings became DRL’s official betting partner and began pricing its races. For profiles of the pilots who defined the league, see our DRL racers guide.

The DRL machine

DRL’s other big idea was the spec drone: every pilot flew identical hardware built by the league, so races came down to skill. The Racer2 of 2016 had two to three minutes of battery life and a top speed of about 80 mph. The Racer3 of 2017 and 2018 went from 0 to 80 mph in under a second under a protective canopy. The Racer4 followed in 2019 with larger props.

The one-off RacerX set an official speed record of 163.5 mph in 2017. DRL also built the DRL Simulator, sold on Steam, whose annual tryouts offered a $75,000 pro contract to the winner. That sim-to-pro pathway, years ahead of its time, is now standard across the sport.

The last full season

DRL’s 2021-22 World Championship season began on September 29, 2021, airing on Wednesday nights on NBCSN and Twitter. Its 14 levels mixed real arenas with virtual maps. NBCSN closed at the end of 2021, and the season moved to NBC. After that, DRL’s calendar thinned out, and Miami is the last event its site lists.

DRL and the betting industry

DRL courted betting brands early. During the canceled 2020 season it ran the FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup, a simulator tournament raising money for COVID-19 relief. Months later, in January 2021, DraftKings signed on as official betting partner. For a short window, drone racing had two of America’s biggest sportsbook brands attached to it. Neither relationship has produced regular markets since DRL’s calendar thinned out.

Where DRL’s pilots race now

DRL’s quiet spell has not slowed the pilots who made its last era. The biggest names have had strong 2026 seasons elsewhere.

MCK FPV: the human who beat the AI

Minchan Kim, MCK FPV, beat TII Racing’s autonomous drone 5–4 in a best-of-nine at the A2RL Drone Championship in Abu Dhabi in January. In October he won the MultiGP Championship in Carrollton, Texas, his third MultiGP title, after nearly two years away from elite FPV, per MultiGP. Read our A2RL human-vs-AI report.

Killian Rousseau: three times second

France’s Killian finished second at the MultiGP World Cup, the European Championship and the MultiGP Championship, two seconds behind MCK in the final. Our MultiGP finals page has the full A Main.

The DCL and A2RL

Team racing continues in the Drone Champions League, where Vexcel Spain Drone Team won the 2026 Falcon and Eagle Cups and Raiden Racing defends the title. Autonomous racing has its own championship in A2RL, which put up a $600,000 prize pool for its January drone event. Our DCL guide covers the team series.

What to watch for

Any DRL return would most likely be announced on its official site and social channels first. Until then, the sport’s calendar runs through the DCL’s Hawk Cup and Super Final and A2RL’s autonomous events in Abu Dhabi. MultiGP’s 2027 International Open is scheduled for June 16–20, 2027.

Can you still bet on DRL?

Not right now. With no DRL races scheduled, there is nothing for DraftKings or anyone else to price. We also found no regulated sportsbook or prediction market offering regular DCL, MultiGP or A2RL markets.

If DRL returns, markets would most likely appear first at DraftKings, given the 2021 partnership. Until then, the live action for machine-sports bettors is in event contracts on AI and technology milestones. See our prediction markets hub for legal platforms by state.

Trading event contracts involves risk of loss. Availability varies by state, and several states are challenging prediction markets in court. 21+ for sportsbooks. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.