Munich. Last Saturday, BMW Welt was closed to
visitors for a very good reason: 12 Drone Racing League (DRL) pilots
raced custom-built drones FPV (First Person View) around a competitive
course inside the building, right through the heart of the vehicle
exhibition, at well over 100 kilometers an hour. More than 3,000
enthusiastic guests watched the trend sport spectacle live. 1000 fans
took up position in the public galleries around the BMW Welt Plaza;
more than 2,000 took advantage of the perfect summer weather to view
for free in the outdoor fan zone.
“The drone races certainly provided me and the viewers at BMW Welt
with some exciting moments. This is where innovative dynamic
performance, fascinating technology and digital connectivity come
together. It is a perfect fit for the BMW brand and BMW Welt,”
explained Helmut Käs, head of BMW Welt. “By hosting the Drone Racing
League Semifinals at BMW Welt, we are introducing our visitors to this
exciting trend sport. We provide a great venue for drone racing, just
like many other events. BMW Welt is a meeting point for a wide variety
of innovative topics and events.”
“We loved hosting our ‘Level 6: BMW Welt’ event at BMW Groupe’s
iconic multisensory brand and product experience center. It was
incredible to watch elite DRL pilots fly high-speed racing drones
through an elaborate three-dimensional course, weaving around BMW
cars, darting through a BMW branded gate, and zooming past a thousand
cheering fans,” said DRL CEO and Founder Nicholas Horbaczewski.
The winner of race will compete against the other 2018 DRL Allianz
World Championship Season winners in their final event in Saudi
Arabia. Throughout the autumn, fans and anyone else who is interested
can follow the competition on ProSieben MAXX, which will broadcast the
entire Drone Racing League series every Thursday from 13 September
until mid-December.
Trend-sport event in the heart of Munich
This year, for the first time, BMW is the official partner of the
Drone Racing League (DRL), which organizes one of the futuristic trend
sport’s biggest racing series, the “DRL Allianz World Championship
2018”. The experienced FPV (First Person View) pilots steer their
individually-built DRL drones through complex three-dimensional
courses. German drone-racing stars McStralle and UpsideDownFPV lined
up against one another at BMW Welt to attempt the challenging and
meticulously calculated course through the building’s award-winning
architecture. The Munich audience cheered the two Germans on, round
after round, with people clearly holding their breath during
particularly complex sections of the course, such as the hairpin bend
in the northern wing of the building or on a power loop through the
first gate of the course. At the end of each round, the pilots had to
steer their brightly-lit projectiles through the BMW Gate in the shape
of the iconic BMW double kidney, where they were greeted every time by
thundering applause.
The event was also an all-round success for the host: Within days of
tickets going on sale, front-row seats inside BMW Welt were sold out.
For those unable to buy tickets, the fan zone outside BMW Welt
provided a free and varied programme with food options, live music and
various opportunities to experience drone racing hands-on. The
absolute highlight of the fan zone was the VR flight simulator set up
by Allianz. High temperatures late into the night also helped create
an unforgettable summer evening.
Additional information available at:
www.bmw-welt.com
If you need additional information please contact:
BMW Group Corporate Communications
Julian Hetzenecker
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental
Affairs
Telephone: +49-89-382-39229
Media website:
www.press.bmw.de
BMW Welt – at the heart of the brand, on the pulse of the city
With more than 3 million visitors per year, BMW Welt in Munich is
Bavaria’s most visited attraction and has become a real magnet for
visitors since its opening in 2007. With its iconic architecture, BMW
Welt is the heart of all the brands in the BMW Group – BMW, the
sub-brands BMW M and BMW i, MINI, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and BMW
Motorrad, which are impressively presented in their own worlds of
experience. But it is not only the exhibitions and the collection of
new vehicles that are highlights for car lovers from all over the
world. Visitors can enjoy a year-round programme of varied events
covering culture, art and entertainment as well as a popular event
location for over 400 external events per year.
The various
restaurants of the BMW Welt offer a variety of culinary delights up to
star gastronomy. In the BMW Welt Junior Campus, children and
youngsters can enjoy exciting guided tours and workshops on the themes
of mobility and sustainability.
The BMW Group
With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the
world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles
and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global
company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities
in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2017, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.463 million cars and
164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately
€ 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31
December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupview
Google+:
http://googleplus.bmwgroup.com
ABOUT DRL
DRL is the pro drone racing sport for elite FPV pilots around the
world. A technology, sports and media company, DRL combines
world-class media and proprietary technology to create thrilling drone
racing content with mass appeal. In 2018 DRL is hosting a global
series of seven races, the Allianz World Championship, to be broadcast
on ESPN, Sky Sports, ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, Disney XD, OSN and other
leading broadcast channels in 75+ countries around the world. Founded
by Nicholas Horbaczewski in 2015, DRL is a privately held company
headquartered in NYC. For more information on the 2018 race season,
visit www.drl.io.
To join the conversation, follow DRL on Facebook at
facebook.com/thedroneracingleague, on Twitter @DroneRaceLeague, and on
Instagram @thedroneracingleague.