World’s first-ever electric flying car drag race ensues in South Africa

MANILA: The first-ever timed electric flying car drag-race took place in the deserts of South Africa, marking a historic event in the future of motorsports.

The drag-race was part of a testing session for EXA, Airspeeder’s first electric flying car racing season, which was developed by Alauda Aeronautics. This historic event gave the world its first sight of flying car racing as a sport, with international competition set to begin in 2022.

A grid of full-scale electric flying cars called “Speeders” will race blade-to-blade in landscapes where motorsport has never been before. Teams from different industries will be given Speeders, but they will have full technical and tactical freedom on how they approach gaining competitive advantage in the series. This will guarantee a competitive racing environment based on pilot skill and race management.

Fans from all over the world will be able to watch via global broadcasts, which will be improved by technology that conveys virtual tracks and race telemetry data to pilots through augmented reality.

Since flying car racing does not require the same physical infrastructure as traditional motorsport, it presents a sport that has been designed from the ground up to be environmentally friendly.

The first drag race was the result of an intense internal competition between two Alauda Aeronautics technical teams. The internal teams were forced to adapt strategy in line to the wind and dust conditions in the chosen desert setting, resulting in a suspenseful and visually captivating encounter. Since races take place in different settings, including over ice, at sea, in deserts, and even on forests, mastery of environmental forces adds a compelling tactical layer to the sport.

Alauda is set to launch the world’s first electric flying car Grand Prix calendar under the banner of the EXA Series, following the successful completion of the inaugural drag-race. The forthcoming crewed Airspeeder Grand Prix will use these remotely piloted races as a vital feeder series. It will serve as a training ground for the elite pilots who will lead the advent of the electric flying car racing era, in addition to creating the technology that underpins the sport.

These people represent the pinnacle in motorsport, eSports, as well as civil, military, and acrobatic aviation. They will accelerate a new mobility revolution in the same way as pioneer race drivers did at the dawn of the automotive and aviation eras. The eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) industry, which is expected to be worth US$1.5 trillion by 2040, has never been more thriving.

In a statement, Airspeeder and Alauda Aeronautics Founder and Chief Executive Officer Matt Pearson said, “We are on the cusp of making motorsport and mobility history with the world’s first electric flying car races. This test race provides the world a glimpse at the next generation of motorsport and mobility. This first test drag race is a major moment in the creation of our sport and a giant leap forward for the development of electric flying cars.”

Alauda Aeronautics has established the motor racing arm of this new mode of transportation, as well as a place and space for the industry to develop essential safety, performance, and digital technology. The will speed up the introduction of electric flying cars, which promise to relieve congestion in urban areas by providing a clean-air form of advanced aviation mobility.

The Alauda Aeronautics engineering team is composed of experts from some of the biggest names in motorsport, performance automotive, and aviation including Brabham, Boeing, Ferrari, McLaren, and Jaguar. As a result, natural competitive insticts kicked in for an internal competition, resulting in the historic first timed drag race.

The red team (team Bravo), spearheaded by Alauda Aeronautics Technical Project Manager Brett Hill, took on the black team (team Alpha), led by Head of Operations Renee Fraser. The two-day testing period provided a significant insight of the real-world race circumstances that teams and pilots will encounter in the upcoming EXA events.

Remote pilots were able to exhibit the dynamic potential of the world’s first electric flying racing cars for the first time. They were given the freedom to chart their own course to victory. The drag-race format was chosen as a clear showcase of the sport’s performance and safety technologies. The “Virtual Forcefield” suite of LiDAR and RADAR-powered safety devices allows for close but ultimately safe racing. This will be extremely relevant for full-grid circuit racing.

The Mk3 Speeders could reach speeds of over 100kph and a height of 10 m above the ground. The garage was divided into two teams, with the red Speeder crossing the line 3.2 seconds faster than its black-liveried counterpart. The drag race was held over a 400-m distance, as is customary in quarter-mile drag racing. The racecraft will race at up to 300 kph in full race specification as it moves through its rapid development curves.

These are key tests for the upcoming EXA remotely piloted GP Season, the development series for the crewed Airspeeder Racing series which will happen in yet-to-be-announced venues in 2022 and beyond.

Teams from all over the world will compete in the world’s first full-grid electric flying car races at the EXA events.

The first batch of teams who have committed to these historic first electric flying car Grand Prix will be announced by Airspeeder soon, along with the locations where they will be held.

Watch the historic first eVTOL drag race between internal Alauda teams here.

Photos from Airspeeder

Also read: TF Sport wins Round 5 of 2021 FIA WEC with Aston Martin Vantage