This year’s MultiGP Championship saw over 900 elite drone pilots from around the globe battling through the intense Global Qualifier season. All were driven by a shared dream: to compete in the world’s most prestigious drone racing event. Ultimately, 120 pilots representing a total of 15 countries, qualified for the Championship, with 52 participants in the Sport Class and 64 in the premier PRO Class.
From October 22 to 27, the greatest speed show on earth took place at the No Quarter Ranch in Citrus Springs, FL. Here’s a summary of what happened.
The first two days of the Championship were dedicated to the Sport Class. After the intense qualifying rounds, Chad “Blastaa” Butler set the pace with a TQ time of 1:03.390 across three laps. Close behind him was Germany’s Luca “Radian” Mansel, finishing with a time of 1:03.603—a mere 0.03 seconds difference that underscored the tight competition.
As the Sport Class entered the double-elimination brackets, we saw electrifying moments from the start. In a gripping C Main final, Matt ‘LEDBoy’ Brooks, owner of the No Quarter Ranch, clinched victory in a nail-biting finish against Kevin ‘Quad-Doc’ Turner, Bryan ‘El-Miderro’ Cole, and Skip ‘atradies’ Fussell. The journey for LEDBoy and Quad-Doc continued as they moved up to the B Main, where they finished just shy of the ultimate round, placing 8th and 6th, respectively.
In the B Main, the top 4 pilots advancing to the A Main final were Alex ‘Alex’ Suarez, followed by Reginald ‘R3’ Ramos, the young local pilot Sean ‘ZEBRA_THREE’ Craighead, and the Canadian Stephanie ‘Rose’ Beaulieu, the highest-placed female competitor in Sport Class. Mako Reactra, another female contender, finished in 5th place in the B Main, narrowly missing the final.
The A Main final delivered a show-stopping conclusion to the Sport Class. The victory came down to the third round of a thrilling “Chase the Ace”, where Chad ‘Blastaa’ Butler secured the win in a close battle against Luca ‘Radian’ Mansel. Both pilots showed remarkable skill, earning promotions to the elite PRO Class for the following day. Colin ‘FreedomDuck’ Jones captured third place, while Skyler ‘RedSky’ Hutchison claimed fourth, concluding an exhilarating start to the Championship.
As the Championship continues, the stage is set for the PRO Class racers to deliver even more speed, precision, and intense competition.
The PRO Class kicked off on Thursday, October 24, with a full day dedicated to qualifying rounds. Right from the start, defending champion and two-time titleholder Minchan ‘MCKFPV’ Kim made it clear he was the man to beat. By the end of two intense days of qualifying—spanning 187 heats and 18 attempts per pilot—South Korea’s MCKFPV set a jaw-dropping time of 43.836 across three laps, establishing a three-second lead over his fellow countryman, Minjae Kim, who ranked second with a time of 46.293. Leading the American pilots was Silas ‘Propsicle’ Aaron, who secured third with an impressive 46.437, while Polish contender Paweł ‘pawelosfpv’ Laszczak finished fourth with 47.420.
But qualifying was just the warm-up. Ahead lay the unforgiving elimination rounds, where split-second decisions and nerve-shredding speed would determine who would truly rise to the occasion.
In the E Main, Ethan ‘Ethan FPV’ Kling took the win and moved up alongside Sam ‘ProDangles’ Compton, achieving a “double bump up” as both pilots will also advance to the C Main. Here, Ethan placed third but was eliminated in the C Main, finishing 31st overall. Italian pilot Francesco ‘Frengo’ Cassarini secured second in the E Main, joining Noah ‘NOSSFPV’ Ossanna and ProDangles in advancing to the next bracket.
The D Main saw the elimination of several well-known fast pilots, including Shawn ‘Shames’ Ames, Italian pilots Paolo ‘Finz FPV’ Ponzo and Frengo, Colombian racer Carlos ‘Caceres’ Caveres, Ryan ‘Akdrones’ Martin, and Noah ‘The_Bob’ Leland. In an exciting final showdown, Americans ProDangles and Ethan FPV faced off against Sean ‘Beanbastic’ McLaughlin and German pilot Andreas ‘iwandi’ Ackermann.
As speeds ramped up in the C Main, lap times continued to drop, setting the stage for intense competition. Much of the anticipation centered on Kalli ‘Kalli FPV’ Ames, currently regarded as the fastest female pilot in the United States, if not the world. However, her run for the final was cut short in the Redemption Bracket semifinal due to a crash early in her second lap, which ended her race. She wasn’t alone—Quinton ‘QTFPV’ Hansen also saw his run end in the semifinals. Other prominent pilots like Richard ‘Taxoo’ Coleman, Mitchell ‘Fireserpent’ Biehl, Canadian pilot Antero Alberto ‘PorkchopFPV’ Sousa, and the young Charlie ‘Bozli’ Boushley also saw their journeys conclude in the C Main.
In the final showdown, German pilot Felix ‘Scorb’ Strohmeier emerged victorious, outperforming the americans Jose ‘JoseFPV’ Heijn, Cody ‘Statikk’ Laberge, and Bryson ‘Red-5’ Hagerman, securing his position as one of the top competitors in the PRO Class.
The Championship reached its peak with the two elite brackets, the A and B Mains, showcasing the top 32 pilots in the competition. In the B Main, the level of competition tightened with each heat, reflecting the high-caliber skills of these top pilots. German racer Scorb, fresh from a bump up from the C Main, appeared unstoppable, aiming for a third double bump up of the Championship to break into the PRO Class Top 16. However, in the Redemption Bracket semifinal, Charles ‘Dubicki’ Dubicki and Pedro ‘Pino’ Caceres proved quicker, completing the three laps ahead of him. Colin ‘Proximo’ Rountree, who had finished third overall in 2023, unfortunately crashed on a gate at the end of his first lap, ending his hopes of repeating last year’s impressive comeback.
The B Main culminated in a thrilling Chase the Ace final that required three rounds to crown a winner. Chilean pilot Tomas ‘Tomatefpv’ Faundez, a fan favorite, dominated the first round, showcasing his speed and control. In the second round, Pino put up a fierce fight, keeping the pressure high and winning to force a third and final round. In this decisive race, Tomatefpv quickly took the lead, while Pino crashed in the second lap and Dubicki went out in the first. Youran ‘Star-Plat’ Tian held steady to finish in second, securing his place alongside Tomatefpv.
These intense battles in the B Main set the stage for the climactic A Main showdown, where the top pilots would compete for the Championship title.
The ultimate showdown brought together the 16 fastest pilots in the world, competing for the title of MultiGP World Champion. This year, more than ever, the level of competition was incredibly balanced, with twists and turns throughout the race.
Mason ‘Hyper’ Lively, a Florida local and designer of the Championship Track, made a surprising error at the end of the first lap in Race 2 of the preliminary rounds, just before the final dive he himself had designed. This mistake set him on an uphill battle, but despite this setback, he fought his way through every stage of the Redemption Bracket. He was eventually eliminated in the semifinal of the Redemption Bracket due to an unfortunate mid-air collision with his racing mate, Propsicle, shortly after the start gate, finishing in an impressive 6th place overall.
Propsicle saw his nearly flawless race come to an end in the semifinals as well. He was first knocked out in the Winner’s Bracket semifinal, where a few errors allowed Pawelos and Minjae to advance, and then in the Redemption Bracket semifinal, where his mid-air collision with Hyper damaged his propellers, reducing his speed and enabling an incredible comeback by MCKFPV. He will eventually finish 5th overall.
The real surprise, however, was seeing MCKFPV in the Redemption Bracket, something no one was used to—not even him. The two-time South Korean champion seemed unusually tense, showing less composure than usual. Known for his cool and collected demeanor during finals, this time he seemed to struggle, with Joe Scully remarking on the live broadcast that “karma is in the air.” In the Winner’s Bracket semifinal (Race 11), MCKFPV made an uncharacteristically rough start, hitting the second gate in the track’s white section, which forced him into a chase against fast competitors like Pawelos, Minjae, and Propsicle. Attempting to recover, perhaps unused to being in pursuit, he crashed hard into the final gate of the blue section and couldn’t get back into the race. In the Redemption Bracket semifinal, he made another glaring error on the first dive in the white section, staying grounded for a daunting 10-15 seconds. For almost any other pilot, this would have been the end, but MCKFPV managed to level his drone using turtle mode and continued, completing three laps at supersonic speeds and with near-perfect execution, allowing him to overtake Propsicle and finish just behind Danish pilot Christoffer ‘ChrisMfpv’ Madsen, securing his place in the top four.
Another notable absence in the top 4 among the favorites was Levi ‘Leviathann’ Johnson, who had recently won both the Pro Spec at Sharjah and the Open Class at Ice Storm. After eliminating Spencer ‘Screecher’ Cannizzaro and Pino in Race 9 with a solid first-place finish ahead of Hyper, Leviathann was knocked out in Race 12. In this heat, alongside his fellow American pilot Joaquin ‘Jbox’ Ybanez, Leviathan struggled with several tense laps and small gate-entry errors that ultimately relegated him to 3rd place, leaving him 8th overall.
For the first time in MultiGP Championship history, the final would be entirely “international,” with no American pilots in the top four. Poland’s Pawelos, his steadfast partner ChrisMfpv from Denmark, and the two fast friends and South Korean speed demons, Minjae and MCKFPV, were poised to face off in the ultimate battle for the title.
The final race was a fitting end to one of the most thrilling Championships ever, running smoothly and filled with intense action. In the first round, however, the unexpected happened as MCK shocked everyone by crashing once again on the notorious first dive in the white section. The impact damaged his propellers, and he soon found himself “taking a kee” and forced to stop mid-heat. Out front, Minjae seized his opportunity, fiercely maintaining his lead over both Pawelos and ChrisMfpv. A lucky bounce off the center gate of the TBS Tower kept him ahead, earning him the first Ace in the Chase the Ace format, where the winner is crowned after securing two round victories—whether consecutive or not.
The second round was highly anticipated, with everyone expecting an MCKFPV comeback. Instead, Pawelos took the lead, racing with lightning precision and a nearly flawless three-lap time of 50.583, reminiscent of qualifying speeds. ChrisMfpv followed close behind with 52.254, while MCKFPV, still struggling with consistency, finished third with a time of 54.876.
Tension was sky-high. The pilot tent buzzed with cheers, shouts, and amazement as fans sensed the race could go any direction. Most still expected MCKFPV to claim at least one round, but in the third round, it was Pawelos’s moment. In an intense, laser-focused run, he executed perfectly, pulling ahead of the competition to claim victory.
In a remarkable display of skill and control, Pawelos took the title of 2024 Champion, marking a thrilling end to an unforgettable Championship.
Congratulations to Pawelos for winning the $7000 cash prize, the 2024 Champ Jersey, the Champ Trophy and for gaining a spot in the 2025 PRO SPEC World Championship
The 2024 MultiGP Championship will be remembered as one of the most thrilling and unpredictable competitions in the sport’s history. With top talent from around the world and a level of intensity that kept fans on the edge of their seats, this event highlighted the evolution and growing international presence in drone racing. Pawelos’s victory showcased the skill, determination, and resilience needed to become a world champion, especially in a final that tested every pilot to their limits.
As we look forward to next season, the 2024 Championship sets a high bar and leaves us with one clear takeaway: in drone racing, anything can happen—and the race is never over until the very last gate.
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