Carb tops Oxford MultiGP qualifier as strict rules shape standings

Carb surged to the top of Drone Racing Oxford’s MultiGP Global Qualifier at Oxford RFC, finishing on 185 points and leaving little room between the front-runners. Finz fpv took second on 170, ReikonFPV was third on 165, and the top four were separated by only 25 points, a sign that the race was decided as much by control and consistency as by raw pace.

That mattered because this was not treated like a casual club night. The May 23 qualifier at Oxford RFC on N Hinksey Lane in North Hinksey was run as a formal scrutineered MultiGP Spring Qualifier, with lap times submitted officially and a fully qualified track laid out for the event. The format demanded two-minute heats and rewarded the fastest three-lap consecutive run, a structure that pushed pilots toward repeatability rather than a single spectacular lap. Open Class rules were exacting but broad in the right places: a maximum 305mm frame, no limits on electronics, firmware, motors or propellers, a battery ceiling of 4.35 volts per cell and an all-up weight cap of 800 grams.

The schedule was just as tight. Pilots arrived at 18:00, the briefing followed at 18:15, heats began at 18:20, and the final heat went off at 20:45 before the field headed to The Fishes at 21:00 for the post-flying social. The event remained open to spectators, beginners and experienced pilots, but the atmosphere was unmistakably serious once the gates opened. On a night like this, a missed line or a technical mismatch could matter as much as top-end speed.

The rest of the standings showed depth rather than a runaway. MrE finished fourth on 160, FPV_Lukey was fifth on 155, Batman sixth on 150, Lex_FPV seventh on 146 and TheChef eighth on 142. JRo, CruiseFPV, urbanfpv, Derpy hooves, JamesTX and CliveFpv filled out the broader field, reinforcing that Oxford produced a competitive qualifier with multiple pilots still in contention deep into the session.

That level of precision fits the direction MultiGP has been taking with its championship pathway. The organization says the 2026 Global Qualifier season began on March 27, after a track-design process that ran from late January into February, community voting in March and an official release on March 23. Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 chapters can host qualifiers, but organizers must formally verify track measurements, which makes scrutineering a central part of the sport’s evolution. With more than 30,000 registered pilots and 500 active chapters worldwide, a local result in Oxford now sits inside a global ranking system, and the calendar already lists another DROx qualifier in Oxfordshire for August 22.