MultiGP Mérida Global Qualifier set for Open Class Championship chase

Mérida was not just hosting another FPV race. At Team Merida in Mérida, Yucatán, the May 1 Global Qualifier ran from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. as one of the cleanest examples of how MultiGP’s Open Class pipeline actually works: show up, meet the spec, survive the format, and put your name into the championship chase.

The structure was built for advancement, but it was anything but loose. MultiGP required at least two pilots registered in RaceSync for the qualifier to count, then opened the door to unlimited qualifying runs. That mattered because Open Class is not won by one lucky heater. The event format asked racers to post their best three consecutive laps inside a fixed two-minute window, a setup that rewarded clean lines, rhythm, and the ability to repeat speed without touching a gate or getting sloppy on lap three.

The equipment rules were just as unforgiving. Open Class drones were capped at 800 grams, limited to a 305 mm motor-to-motor frame size, and restricted to 4.35 volts per cell on the battery. In practice, that means pilots did not get to brute-force the category with oversized hardware. They had to build something light, tight, and reliable enough to hold pace over repeated attempts, which is exactly why this class still separates serious racers from casual speed chasers.

The safety and organization rules also told the story of where the sport has gone. Every pilot needed a drone inspection before flight, every pilot needed a spotter, and frequency coordination was emphasized to keep the field clean. RaceSync’s automatic assignment system reflected a wider truth about modern drone racing: the sport has become international enough that software-assisted structure is no longer a convenience, it is part of the competition.

That larger ladder gave the Mérida stop real weight. MultiGP says its Championship series is open to all countries, and any Tier 3, Tier 2, or Tier 1 chapter can host a set number of Global Qualifier races on the official yearly track. For 2026, track submissions ran Jan. 26-Feb. 9, community voting ran March 4-13, the official track was released March 23, and the GQ season began March 27. With more than 30,000 registered pilots and more than 500 active chapters worldwide, MultiGP has built a system where a local chapter in Yucatán can feed directly into an international title path.

The scale keeps getting bigger, too. MultiGP says the 2025 Global Qualifier drew 1,113 pilots from 51 countries, while 2023 brought nearly 1,000 pilots and 2019 topped 1,200. That is the real takeaway from Mérida: if you want to move up in drone racing, this is the kind of qualifier structure you must now plan around.