Everyone I speak to at the Drone Racing League World Championship Race is happy about how well things are going. The pilots? Happy. The crew? Happy. Nick Horbaczewski, CEO of the Drone Racing League (DRL), which this month raised $20 million in venture capital to turn what is a niche hobby into a worldwide sport? Extremely happy, if a little red-eyed and ragged.
We're sitting in a back room in Alexandra Palace, otherwise known as Ally Pally, an extravagant Victorian-era venue in London that was once home to balls and traveling exhibitions. This is the home for the final race of DRL's 2017 season. Horbaczewski, who speaks fluent press release, is rattling off figures at me. “Our first season, 2016? Broadcast in over 40 countries. 30 million-plus tuned in to watch it.”
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