KUALA LUMPUR – The Drone Racing Association of Malaysia (DRAM) has expressed their hope that the establishment of the proposed Drone Sports Centre of Excellence will lead to the development of more racing pilots and uplift the sport’s future in the country.
DRAM president Mohd Fitri Reza said having a specific venue for drone racing will help the fraternity to organise more events and encourage people to get involved in the adrenaline-pumping activity.
“Getting a place for racing has always been a major challenge for us before this. So, usually, we will find any secluded place, set up the track and practise with our group members, besides having organised international events involving our neighbouring countries.
“This will also help our pilots to be better prepared for international and regional events like the World Drone Racing Championship. We have a few good racers that participated in international events before, but due to the lack of preparations and crew, they couldn’t excel,” he said.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, when tabling Budget 2022 in the Dewan Rakyat on Friday, announced an allocation of RM5 million to create the Drone Sports Centre of Excellence.
According to Mohd Fitri, the drone racing scene in the country was active prior to this but has come to a halt since the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
After having successfully conducted a demo race at the newly launched Technology Park Malaysia (TPM) Drone Development Zone on October 16, DRAM is looking forward to organising monthly events after this.
He said although Malaysia has close to 200 drone racing pilots, fewer than 50 are actively involved in racing, with some using drone racing as a launchpad to enter drone photography and videography, which ensure a good income.
However, Mohd Fitri believes that by having a permanent track with good facilities and some support from the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), DRAM will be able to attract more racers and help them to share their knowledge with more people.
“We had proposed the idea of setting up a Drone Sports Centre of Excellence to the Finance Ministry in May. We are the only national drone racing association in the country, we hope we will get involved in the setting up of the centre as we know how to develop new talents,” he said.
Mohd Fitri said to get involved in drone racing, one needs to spend around RM1,500 to develop a do-it-yourself (DIY) racing drone equipped with a Flying First Person View (FPV) system, but to develop a professional racing drone can cost between RM5,000 and RM10,000.
“The pilot will be wearing the FPV goggles while controlling the drone, so they feel like sitting inside the drone, which is from virtual reality. Being a sport with a combination of high technology and human skills, the race pilot has to be very skilful in handling the drone, able to respond quickly and have a clear mind,” he added. – Bernama, November 2, 2021
