April 15,2017
Georgia Tech wins first-ever Collegiate Drone Racing National Championship

One of the 48 student-made drones that competed at the first Collegiate Drone Racing National Championship that was held at Purdue University on Saturday (April 15). The event was organized by the Purdue Drone Club, and more than 20 universities competed. (Purdue University photo/David Wegiel Jr.)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Georgia Tech won the first-ever Collegiate Drone Racing National Championship hosted by Purdue University on Saturday, scoring more than $15,000 worth of equipment and prizes.
The gusty winds and winding track were no match for the 48 pilots and their homemade drones. The races went off without a hitch, despite challenging 19-20 MPH winds.

Georgia Tech beat out the other 26 universities to claim the top spot. The University of California, Berkeley finished second, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Unviersity-Daytona third and Purdue finished fourth.
"It was a fantastic event," Tyler Landers, president of the Purdue Drone Club said. "It was a bit windy, but I think everyone had a good time. It was great for Purdue to host the first ever. Congratulations to Georgia Tech they had a great day today."
The final race consisted of Corey Ibanez from the University of California Santa Cruz, David Dominguez Hooper from UC Berkeley, Nick Willard of Georgia Tech and Ivan Rodriguez of the University of Texas-Arlington. Rodriguez beat out Ibanez for the top spot in the race, followed by Willard in third.
Writer: Megan Huckaby, 765-496-1325, mhuckaby@purdue.edu
Sources: Tyler Landers, tlander@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Video from the races is available at https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxdPFMVWz-l2RlJNZ25jbm1VNXM