In what is truly a sign of things to come in the digital sport world, the world’s first ever Drone Racing League (DRL) has been launched in New York City with a number of events to be held around the world in 2016.

With over 300,000 people registering their drone with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in just 30 days, a league of the likes wasn’t too far behind. And so it’s proved with the introduction of a worldwide competition for the fastest drones on the planet.

The event will kick off with its first race on February 22 in Miami, Florida followed by a Los Angeles leg in March and considering the immense popularity that drones have attracted, it’s likely to become the Formula 1 of the skies.

Attracting throngs of drone enthusiasts and curious tech fans alike, the first ever Drone Racing League will come with an officially designated vehicle for pilots for the first competition, named the Drone Racing League Racer 2 (or the DRL Racer 2).

Taking place in stadiums with neon boxes that signal a checkpoint, each drone pilot will sit in a DRL Racer 2 which is equipped with a standard definition camera. Each competitor will have a pair of glasses displaying a video stream in real time of their race so that the pilots can see where their driving their drone. This will also be helped by the drone being equipped with an LED system which will be a different colour to their competition.

For TV broadcasters, the drone has HD cameras which will allow them to make the finest videos of the race for promotion.

In what will undoubtedly be a very exciting time for drone owners, the league not only hopes to grow significantly but to introduce regulations in competition similar to that implemented in car racing, giving it footing in the sports community.

Founder and CEO of the Drone league Nicholas Horbaczewski said that they hoped this competition would see the best of the best drone pilots emerge.

“We are committed to building the best drones, the most inspiring races and the ultimate playground for the best drone pilots in the world.”

With “drone pitstops”, teams built around the drones and its pilot and state-of-the-art communication systems, the competition might seem far too futuristic for this age. But with their exploding popularity, it looks as if the Drone Racing League is here to stay.

Need a little bit more of an idea of how it works, watch the video below