The Drone Racing League will crown a champion in its popular 2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup at 4 p.m. ET Sunday on NBCSN and the DRL Twitter account.
The season finale of the eight-race series will feature a winner-take-all championship in the fantasy, virtual drone racing series among a dozen pilots competing from their homes in countries around the world.
Amari Christian “Amari” Van Sloun has won five of the first seven races and finished second in the other two races to Evan “HeadsUp” Turner (who was second in the other five races).
Find out who makes the podium and get a preview of the @USAFRecruiting Boneyard map. #SIMCup pic.twitter.com/x1ZRsJJAPV
— Drone Racing League (@DroneRaceLeague) July 3, 2020
Pilots have donated their winnings to Direct Relief, the largest charitable provider of protective gear and medical essentials to health facilities in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Here’s the release from the Drone Racing League on the 2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup:
2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup Championship Kicks Off Sunday
As sports got canceled due to the pandemic, one innovative league continued to provide thrilling sports entertainment to fans across the world — all while supporting Covid-19 relief efforts — and they’re gearing up for an exhilarating finale this weekend.
On Sunday, July 5 at 4 p.m. ET, The Drone Racing League (DRL), the fastest growing, global, professional drone racing property, will premiere the winner-take-all Championship of the 2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup, the fantasy, virtual drone racing series, on NBCSN and DRL’s Twitter.
A dozen elite drone pilots will fly digital replicas of high-speed DRL drones on the DRL SIM, the true-to-life drone racing video game, from their homes around the world. Competing to be crowned the FanDuel DRL SIM Cup Champion, pros will zoom above hundreds of planes in the U.S. Air Force Boneyard map, which is inspired by Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the world’s largest military aircraft maintenance facility. The first place winner will donate their prize winnings to Direct Relief, which provides PPE for frontline workers.
The SIM Cup competition’s been fierce with rookie DRL Pilots taking the lead and consistently racing neck-in-neck: Amari Christian “Amari” Van Sloun, 25 from Ames, Iowa, won five out of the last seven races with Evan “HeadsUp” Turner, DRL’s youngest-ever pilot, making it to the finish line mere mili-seconds behind him in second place. HeadsUp came in first in the remaining two levels, with Amari trailing just behind him.
“DRL is the NBA of drone racing. The pilots who compete in the league are the best in the world, and coming in first throughout the FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup is a huge deal. After this Sunday, I’m going to focus on training for the real-life Allianz World Championship Season with the same practice regiment that made me take the lead in the SIM Cup,” said DRL Pilot Amari.
Nearly 3 million fans have watched the SIM Cup, live tweeting their excitement for racing.
Fans tuning in can enter a free daily fantasy contest on FanDuel to draft their ultimate pilot-picks, and even fly just like them: The same U.S. Air Force Boneyard track will be released on the DRL SIM on Steam immediately following the broadcast.