La Lligueta 2026 Race 2 brings open-spec drone racing to Lleida

Thirty-two invited pilots gave La Lligueta 2026 Race 2 a tighter, more selective feel in Segria, where the Catalan league’s open-spec rules made Lleida less a calendar stop than a live stress test for who can adapt fastest. The field was capped at 32, registration was by invitation only, and the venue carried a clear local identity through Club Aeromodelisme Segria in Santa Maria de Montmagastrell.

That matters because La Lligueta was built to push drone racing in a different direction. The league says it was created after the Covid-19 pandemic to bring racing back to the territory, and it has leaned into a club-driven model that keeps the sport accessible without flattening the competition. Across seven races and roughly 30 pilots in the program, it has become one of the clearest grassroots drone-racing properties in Catalonia.

The format is the selling point. La Lligueta runs open spec, so pilots can line up with DJI, Walksnail, HDZero or analog video systems, while the rules also set a common propeller specification, require LEDs and demand at least two landing supports on every drone. DJI O3 is not permitted until compatibility issues are resolved, a restriction that says plenty about the league’s priorities: fairness and system stability over brand convenience.

That open setup changes how the racing plays. The federation says there are no trial rounds, pilots get as much flying time as possible in the morning, and then the heats compress into a few minutes of F9U-style racing in the afternoon. Qualifying times feed quarterfinals, semifinals and a grand final, while the tie-break logic looks at rivals faced, accumulated points and race wins. In other words, La Lligueta rewards consistency across the field, not just one perfect lap.

The 2026 season was already underway before Lleida, with the first race held on April 11 at Club d’Aeromodelisme Ciutat de Reus and 22 participants taking part. That gave Race 2 a different edge: it was not a debut, but the next checkpoint in a season that is already taking shape. For a league that grew out of a post-pandemic reboot, Segria showed how open-spec racing can stay affordable, tactically rich and competitive at the same time. Josep de la Fuente is the organiser listed by the federation, and the structure around him has turned La Lligueta into one of the region’s most useful proving grounds.