The first Sharjah Drone Racing Champions race took place over the weekend, culminating in a dramatic finale on Sunday at Al Majaz Amphitheatre.
Co-organised by MultiGP and overseen by Sharjah Government Media Bureau, the championship involved 16 drone pilots competing to win the grand title and a share of the $25,000 prize pot. Attended by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, the finale took place on Sunday evening.
Over two days, the professional drone racers competed in five matches, with the top four contestants across each advancing to the event's finale. Killian Rousseau from France earned his spot with 312 points, followed by Levi Johnson from the US with 254 points. MinChan Kim from Korea and Luke Bannister from Britain also secured spots with 222 and 193 points respectively.
In the sixth and final race of the weekend, it was Johnson, nicknamed in the industry as Leviathann, who was crowned champion, while Rousseau fell from the leaders' board.
Sharjah is the new capital of drone racing
Chris Thomas,
MultiGP founder and chief executive
“My mind was so locked in on the race that I completely didn't think about how I was winning until after I crossed the finish line. It felt like a dream to try to think about how I actually won, and I still can't fathom it,” Johnson told The National after the competition.
“I think I came into this race with a great mindset, and continued to stay focused during my races, and that gave me an edge on the competition. One thing that helped lead to the win was going out on the field with a confident attitude and not having a moment of doubt that I wouldn't fly my best,” he added.
Claiming the runner-up spot was Kim, known as MCK FPV, while Bannister, known as Banni UK in the racing circuit, came third.
Speaking about the event, Chris Thomas, founder and chief executive of international drone racing league MultiGP, called Sharjah the “new capital of drone racing”.
The $25,000 prize pool was divided among the top three finalists, with Johnson taking $15,000, Kim winning $7,000 and Bannister receiving $3,000.
Throughout the competition, pilots navigated an LED course at the amphitheatre. Each match, comprising four laps, began at take-off blocks leading into an ascent towards the Sharjah skyline, with the competitors making turns and manoeuvring LED line pylons.
Among the distinguished attendees were Sheikh Sultan and Tariq Saeed Allay, director general of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, who joined Thomas in announcing and crowning the winners following the competition.
Internationally, MultiGP includes more than 30,000 registered pilots and 500 active chapters.
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
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4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
