Drone piloting is primarily about the fun, but if you’re looking to get into drone racing, there’s also an element of seriousness to reckon with, which means you have to get serious when buying your drones.
And, unfortunately, part of being serious about drone racing is making peace with the fact that you’ll have to spend more money on a drone than you have in the past… but just how much more are we talking? Well, if you want to be a true competitor, you should expect to pay $1000 +.
But that’s not to say that you have to sell your car and remortgage your home to get into drone racing, as there are other options. Stick with us, and we’ll lay it all out for you.
Are All Racing Drones Expensive?
You could pick up something marketed as a racing drone for as little as $300, but there’s no conceivable way that it will compete in a legit competition.
Still, if you’re a little light of pocket at the minute, or you’re just not sure how much you’ll enjoy drone racing, these low-market models provide an entry point for you to cut your teeth.
If you’d like to leap-frog the very base-level models, we’d recommend allocating a budget of at least $500–$700, but, like we said earlier, if you want to compete and win, you have to be all in, financially speaking.
Now, that’s not to say that you’ll spend all that money on a single stock drone, but high-spec modifications are a must, and they’re the real cash drain.
Can I Expect An ROI In Drone Racing?
The buy-in cost of a serious drone racer is objectively scary, but the thing about this niche of the UAV world is that it’s a genuine sport with official competitions, and if you do well, there are plenty of cash prizes to snag.
It’s an intense and highly competitive sport, but if you’re willing to put the time, effort, and money into honing your skills and your drones, you can absolutely make a return on your investment.
Is Drone Racing A Legitimate Sport?
Drone racing really is on the up and up. The sport has a central governing body known as the Drone Racing Association, and get this… they’ve just signed a deal with ESPN.
Yes, compared to traditional sports, drone racing is in its infancy, but it’s turning some serious heads, and popularity looks to skyrocket over the next few years, gaining tons of exposure and giant sponsorships.
Consequently, prize money and renown for winners is only going to become more impressive.
How Fast Should My Racing Drone Be?
You can start a bit slower to begin with, but generally speaking, as you get more serious about racing, your drone should be able to hit speeds of 35 mph pre-mods.
You can usually break the factory speed boundary by cutting weight. For example, lose the GPS, bulky landing gear, OSDs, and any long wires, and you’ll see a significant increase in zip.
Another option guaranteed to boost your drone’s speed is to invest in lightweight, high voltage batteries. Typical LiPo batteries have a maximum cell voltage of 4,2V, but a high voltage battery generally runs up to 4.35V per cell. This is more typical in the 1S LiPos but can be found with all models. Typically your high voltage 6S battery should have a nominal voltage listed as 22.8V whilst your standard 6S sit at 22.2V.
How Fast Should My First Racing Drone Be?
We’d recommend a max factory speed of at least 25 mph to start with. Once you’ve got to grips with that speed, go ahead and familiarize yourself with a few mods and see how you handle things in the air.
How To Prepare For Your First Racing Drone?
Did you know that you can cut your teeth in the drone racing arena without ever owning a drone? There are amazing simulations that use real controls and cutting-edge game design to replicate the experience of flying drones competitively.
In fact, these simulations are so real that once you’ve developed your skills in-game, you can transition straight to the real deal without so much as a hiccup.
Even pro racers use these simulations to keep their skills sharp between physical practices and races.
My recommendation is to start with a tiny whoop drone to get the feel of how to fly in acro/manual mode. Check out our article of our favourite 5.
Is Speed Everything In Drone Racing?
A powerful drone is of course the most fundamental aspect of drone racing, but it’s by no means the only thing you should consider when buying your first or any subsequent racing drones.
High quality cameras are, for instance, absolutely crucial, as drone racing is executed in the 1st-person perspective. You won’t be looking up at your drone from your position; you’ll be wearing goggles, seeing whatever lies in front of your drone.
It’s almost like a VR flying simulation, but it’s not a simulation.
The higher quality the camera, the clearer you’ll be able to see and the better you’ll be able to navigate at high speeds. However, there is a limit, especially when moving into digital video transmission.
Latency
As well as camera weight and picture quality, you’ll also need to factor latency into your decision.
For the uninitiated, latency is the time it takes for the camera to create and pass an image to the pilot via the goggles. Low latency is critical if you’re racing at high speeds, otherwise, you’re not seeing an up-to-date image, and you’ll find it impossible to navigate obstacles.
It’s not just the camera itself that determines latency, but video transmitters, LCDs, and goggles as well.
This generally means that digital goggles are out of the question. There is a slightly higher delay in the video feed for digital due to a range of factors, not the least of which is, that higher quality = more data to transmit.
Drone Suggestions For Novice Racers
Before we go our separate ways, check out our drone suggestions for aspiring racing pilots. In such a saturated market, it’s hard to find your footing when you’re just starting out, so use these drones as a reference point to begin with.
Walkera Runner 250 Quadcopter
The Walkera Runner tops out at a 25 mph, factory, with a 14-minute battery capacity, which is a solid duration for some quality practice sessions.
It’s relatively agile, so it can handle the obstacles of an actual race course without breaking a sweat, and while it’s not the most amazing design in the world, it’s perfect for your fledgling period as a drone racer.
What’s more, it sits just above the $300 mark, so you can test the waters without investing your life’s savings — If you don’t enjoy it, it’s no big deal.
| Size (mm) | Dry Weight (g) | Motor (kv) | Battery | Connector | Cost (USD) |
| 250 | 446 | 2,500 | 3S | XT60 | ~$320 |
Arris X-Speed 250B V3
Remember earlier when we mentioned that you could invest a little more to skip the entry-grade racing drones? Well, the Arris X-Speed is the bigger budget drone we had in mind.
These things are pre-calibrated and put through rigorous tests before they even leave the factory, meaning first-timers who aren’t too familiar with post-stock calibration can get straight down to business piloting.
The speed controller is next-level responsive, and the drone itself is fitted with a damping plate for boosted crash protection — Something beginners definitely need.
But perhaps the best thing about the X-Speed is the expansive goggle compatibility, meaning you can pick up some higher quality FPV goggles and improve your piloting experience tenfold.
The price for this has come down and they are starting to become hard to find. But it now sits in close price with our previous suggestion, the Walkera Runner.
| Size (mm) | Dry Weight (g) | Motor (kv) | Battery | Connector | Cost (USD) |
| 268 | 400 | 2,300 | 4S | XT60 | ~$340 |
Final Thoughts
We hope this guide helped you along the path to drone racer superstardom — Remember your old pals over at definingdrones when you hit the big time.
In summary, you can pick up your first racing drone for between $300 and $700, but for an all-singing, all-dancing champion drone with gear to match, you’ll be wading into the thousands.
We know that’s a scary prospect, but there are plenty more costly pursuits out there, and if you’re really dedicated, you can make drone racing pay, big time!
