International Drone Racing Competition to be Held at Yeongam-gun F1 Circuit in October

Ministry of Land Chooses 'Drone Demonstration City Construction Project'... Secures 1.2 Billion KRW in National Funding

'2024 International DF-1 Drone Racing Competition' Held, Anticipating Synergy with Motorsports

Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Woo Seung-hee) and Jeollanam-do have been selected in the ‘Drone Leisure International Competition Hosting’ category of the ‘2024 Drone Demonstration City Construction Contest’ organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Aviation Safety Technology Institute, securing 1.2 billion KRW in national funding.

According to the county on the 5th, following the contest selection, the ‘2024 International DF-1 Drone Racing Competition’ will be held at the Yeongam F1 Racing Circuit from October 12 to 13.

Drone racing is a sport where participants race high-performance drones in the air, navigating through obstacles and following a designated course, with the fastest to cross the finish line declared the winner. Competitors wear FPV (First Person View) goggles to pilot their drones, competing against time.

Yeongam F1 Racing Circuit Panorama
[Photo by Yeongam-gun]

This competition will be held at the Yeongam F1 Racing Circuit, the only venue in Korea rated Grade 1 by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

It is expected to attract public attention due to the opportunity to witness a unique type of racing at a motorsports venue and the increased utilization of the F1 circuit.

In particular, Yeongam-gun plans to leverage this contest selection and event to link the existing motorsports festival with next-generation advanced drone racing, advancing as a leading city in 4th industrial revolution technologies.

Yeongam-gun will invest a total of 1.6 billion KRW in the drone racing competition. They will establish an advanced drone racing track and operation system reflecting Yeongam’s unique characteristics and initiate the development of promotional models using drones.

A county official stated, “The Yeongam F1 Racing Circuit has been evaluated as suitable for hosting a world-class drone racing competition,” adding, “We will make the October event a fusion of car racing and drone racing, promoting Yeongam-gun’s charm to tourists as a unique festival worldwide and the only special race in the nation.”

Besides this contest selection, Yeongam-gun gained nationwide attention last year by being selected in April for the ‘Regional Specialized Sports Tourism Industry Promotion Project’ by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, hosting various events utilizing the Yeongam F1 Circuit.

This year, as a continuation of this project, national marathon competitions, the Eoullim Cycling Competition, the National University Student Autonomous Car Competition, and the Motor Music Festa are scheduled.