Australian FPV Association launches ambitious 2026 Drone Nationals qualifying series

The first real separator in Australian drone racing is not Brisbane in September. It is the qualifying cut line, and AUFPV has made it unforgiving: 96 spots in Open Class, only 48 in Pro Spec, and a leaderboard already crowded with pilots trying to turn one fast lap into a Nationals ticket.

That is the point of the association’s 2026 qualifying series. The track was designed by reigning champion Wilf, and the official Velocidrone course, titled 2026 AU Nationals Qualifier, has become the common test for the country’s pilots from March 1 through June 30. AUFPV is using club officials and DVR submissions to validate times, which gives the system more bite than a loose, self-reported leaderboard. If a lap is not checked, it does not count.

The pressure is already visible in Pro Spec, where the public table shows 103 entries fighting for those 48 places. Marcus Amery of Outer Heaven Drone Racing has set the early pace at 43.39 seconds, with Randi Pachella next at 45.42. Christopher Go sits at 47.61, and Charlie Gordon of FPV Rebels is close behind at 47.87. That is a thin enough spread to keep the board volatile, but the deeper message is sharper: the top end is already being shaped by club strength, with Outer Heaven Drone Racing and Canberra Multirotor Racing Club prominent among the early leaders.

AUFPV has also made sure this is not just a digital exercise. The Melbourne Multirotor Racing Club nationals qualifier ran on April 19, from 9:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., giving the series a live race-day anchor inside the national pathway. The association’s April calendar repeatedly lists qualifying activity throughout the month, reinforcing that this is a season-long sorting process, not a one-off attempt to fill a bracket.

The stakes are clear enough. The 2026 Australian Drone Nationals are set for September 30 through October 4 in Brisbane, Queensland, with the calendar listing Western Districts Rugby Football Club Memorial Park in Toowong as the venue. AUFPV, which says it is the national special interest group for FPV in Australia and is affiliated with the Model Aeronautical Association of Australia, has built a pathway where every verified lap matters. By the time the Brisbane grid is set, the field will already have been winnowed by a qualifier that rewards speed, consistency, and the ability to survive a national standard designed to punish mistakes.