Nobody was more geeked about this month’s upcoming Great Lakes Cup Drone Racing Championship & Expo than the the hard-working, high-flying guys (and gals) at Great Lakes Drone Company in Watervliet. Plans have been underway for months now to host the cup at the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids.
Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances, the two (Great Lakes Drone Company and Van Andel Arena) have been forced to reschedule the big event from it’s original run of July 21-23 to the newly slated run of September 22-24, 2017.
Despite the two month delay, Great Lakes Drone Company’s statement says, “We look forward to hosting the Great Lakes Cup Drone Racing Championship on the September weekend, which still features $10,000 in cash and prizes. Ticket pricing is available on Ticketmaster and those who would like to register as a racer can do so by visiting www.greatlakescup.com.”
Both organizations report that any registrants currently registered that will be unable to attend the new dates will be issued a full refund at their request. Refunds will be issued starting next Monday, July 10th based on requests. Those seeking the refund route are asked to please email info@greatlakesdronecompany.com with your full name and PayPal email address requesting a refund. Spectator passes will be handled via TicketMaster outlets in which the same refund conditions will apply. Contact Van Andel Box Office or your TicketMaster outlet.
Drone Racing is a new high speed competitive racing sport. Skilled pilots fly quad-copter drones through three-dimensional courses at speeds up to 120mph. The drones are usually custom built for speed, agility, and performance. Pilots steer from the point of view of the drone by wearing First Person View (FPV) goggles that display a live image transmitted by an onboard camera. Flying a drone competitively at high speed in FPV is an intense, immersive experience.
MultiGP currently has over 12,000 registered racers across 869 chapters internationally. Michigan alone makes up for over 300 registered racers between 11 chapters. Drone racing is becoming the fastest growing sport across the nation. The sport is unique as it draws from skills in flying the drone, mechanical and electrical ingenuity along with audio/visual expertise to successfully compete in such a platform. The ability to bring such a diverse range of competitors and spectators to one event is an amazing opportunity. Vendors from the drone racing community, along with other UAV (Unmanned Aerial Systems) vendors will be on hand to allow the spectators to learn, experience and become involved in the this new multi-billion dollar UAV industry.
Event sponsorships are officially available, and you can learn more online by visiting Great Lakes Drone Company’s website, and then by selecting Sponsor for more information.
Great Lakes Drone Company LLC is an FAA 14CFR Part 107 Certified, unmanned aerial provider of media services. They are the only local Southwest Michigan company with Night Flight Waiver approval and Certificate of Authorization for proximity flights near Southwest Michigan Regional Airport.
