Over the pink salt flats of South Australia, the first flying automobile race in history has begun, and it is every bit as amazing as it sounds.
In the first competition of its type, pilots Zephatiali Walsh and Fabio Tishcler faced off while controlling their remotely controlled flying machines around the 0.6-mile (1-kilometer) long course that was created close to Adelaide using augmented reality technology.
The 4.1 m (nearly 13 ft) quadcopters completed a lap in less than 40 seconds while traveling at speeds of about 100 kph (62 mph).
Walsh eventually succeeded in securing the top spot on the podium despite the tight race, which included many daring overtaking moves and some extremely tight curve turns.
As soon as the green light appeared, we started racing for a place in this sport’s history and the future of transportation represented by flying automobiles. IFLScience received a statement from Walsh that read, “I couldn’t be prouder to know that I’ll be the first winner of an electric flying vehicle race forever more and I look forward to retaining my crown as we go racing across the world in the coming months.
The two eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) races are crewless, electric-powered four-rotor aircraft that were created by Alauda Aeronautics.
The races are still run remotely for the time being. They do, however, intend to launch crewed flights by 2023. The highlights of the race are shown here.
The eVTOL racers had previously run a straight drag race in South Australia, but this was the first time they competed on a track that had turns and twists.
Alauda Aeronautics has great expectations for its products and thinks it may one day rival Formula 1 racing as a brand-new discipline of motorsport. They even think that this technology could represent the beginning of a significant transportation revolution.
“Motorsport has expedited every breakthrough moment in human transportation. The role competition plays is as vital as ever, according to Matt Pearson, the creator of the Airspeeder racing series, as we stand on the verge of the 21st century’s big leap forward in fulfilling the promise of flying cars.
Zephatali Walsh hasn’t just created motorsport history by winning the first flying vehicle race in history; he’s also written his own chapter on the beginning of a mobility revolution because of this. The first race just serves as the beginning of what we guarantee will be the most innovative, revolutionary, and thrilling racing in the world. We anticipate providing many more thrilling races and moments.
