The world’s fastest drone has been racing a MotoGP bike at the Red Bull Ring
The world’s fastest FPV drone has been racing a KTM RC16 at the stunning Red Bull Ring
Drones, and in particular FPV drones, have changed the face of how TV shows, film and social media content are created. At the forefront of the technology is Red Bull, which has built an FPV drone called Drone 1, which is claimed to be the fastest on the planet.
We’ve already seen it racing numerous times before, most notably against a certain Mr Max Verstappen at a soaking wet Silverstone. This time, though, it’s two-wheels that are taking on the challenge of four rotors, as former MotoGP rider, and current KTM test rider, Jonas Folger takes the reins.
The venue, fittingly, is the Red Bull Ring in Austria, home to the upcoming Grand Prix and also KTM. It’s also one of the most stunning MotoGP venues on God’s green earth, and the perfect backdrop for a drone vs bike battle.
What is clear from the footage is, even at one of MotoGP’s fastest tracks, the drone is more than a match for the 250bhp plus prototype racing bike. The fastest recorded speed at the venue is just shy of the 200mph mark (set in 2024 by Lorenzo Savadori riding the Red Bull KTM Tech 3. We’re assuming that Herr Folger is knocking on those speeds in the footage you can see here, and it’s not like he’s leaving the thing for dead!
And there is a good reason for that, as the Drone 1 is apparently capable of a top speed of 217mph. Meaning to get the better of the four-rotor phenomenon, we’d need to head somewhere like Mugello, where a top speed of 227.5 has been recorded - that time by Brad Binder on another KTM RC16 back in 2023.
Other fast facts for the drone include its mind-melting acceleration from 60 to 186mph of just two seconds, and its flight time which is just three minutes when flying at the speeds required to keep up with a MotoGP bike.
Adding this one to my Christmas list, I’ve been a very good boy this year, Santa.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
