SOMETIMES it takes a 15-year-old to make you realise you have chosen the wrong career path.
British teenager Luke Bannister just took home $330,000 for flying his drone faster than anyone else.
More officially, the tech savvy teen won the World Drone Prix in Dubai, which is the world’s biggest and most lucrative drone race.
Flying for the Tornado X-Blades Banni UK team, Bannister and his fellow members beat 150 other teams to secure the largest share of the $1.3 million prize pool.
The futuristic sport decks pilots out in racing overalls as they manoeuvre their drones through an elaborate neon-lit outdoor circuit, guided by a video feed broadcast through a VR headset.
The rules of the World Drone Prix stipulate each team must consist of at least four people, including a pilot, navigator, and technical crew/pit stop personal.
In order to obtain victory in the 12-lap race, the World Organization of Racing Drones requires pilots to complete a number of variables including maintaining their drone on the track, overcoming all obstacles and making a minimum of one pit stop.
The inaugural race in Dubai was one of the largest drone racing events in the sport’s history, since its recent emergence onto the scene.
In a promotional video earlier this year, DRL founder Nick Horbaczewski said he believes drone racing is the sport of the future and will one day rival Formula 1 and NASCAR.
“DRL is the premier drone racing league, we put on a global circuit of races, with the best drivers, in the most interesting locations, creating compelling sports media and sharing it with the world,” he said.
Director of product Ryan Gury said the courses were not only aesthetically pleasing, but they were a world first for drone racing.
“Our courses are really different from other courses. Usually racing courses are left to right. Ours have 3D elements in them, so we get to go left, right up and down,” he said.