The 11th edition of The World Games will take place this summer in Birmingham, Alabama. Originally planned for 2021, this year’s event will debut Drone Racing as a new discipline. AMA has named two pilots to represent the US at the games.
Evan “HeadsupFPV” Turner, age 19, Maryville, Tennessee, and Ryan Lindsay “Mako Reactra” Lessard, age 40, Buxton, Maine, will compete in the July 9-11 event. It will take place at the newly constructed Protective Stadium, located in downtown Birmingham.
Evan, a multi-time winner of the MultiGP International Open World Cup contest, is the youngest champion in the history of the Drone Racing League (on NBC), with championship wins in both 2020 and 2021 seasons. He has participated in amateur racing events since the age of 14 and won two National Championships, first joining the Drone Racing League at the age of 16. Before competing in drone racing, Evan competed in RC Scale Aerobatics and the AMA Nats.
Ryan was a pilot for team Quad Force One in the 2021 Drone Champions League. She has competed in more than 100 amateur races including two National Championship events.
As national representatives for drone and aeromodeling disciplines, AMA is proud to announce the two pilots as the 2022 US Drone Racing Team. Evan and Ryan, both AMA members, were selected based on their extensive experience in both amateur and professional racing leagues and are well-prepared to represent the US on the world stage.
Governed by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI), The World Games 2022 Drone Racing contest is a mixed event for men and women with 32 top pilots competing (20 men and 12 women) from 20 countries based on FAI World Cup rankings. With a recent lack of qualifying World Cup events to formally rank American pilots, the host nation was allowed to select one man and one woman to participate as wildcard athletes.
Drone Racing (Class F9U) was formally adopted as an international sport by the World Air Sports Federation in 2019, along with team sport Drone Soccer (Class F9A), which will be a demonstration event at The World Games Plaza. Tickets for the event can be purchased online. These events will elevate drone sports to the highest levels of international athletic competition.
Good luck from one of your students Mako Reactra!