MultiGP spotlights Whoop Finals at International Open in Muncie

The smallest drones at the MultiGP International Open got a showcase that felt bigger than novelty, with the Whoop Finals streamed live from AMA Headquarters in Muncie and presented as a championship race in its own right. Matt King handled commentary and Doug Kling produced the show, putting the lightest and fastest craft in the sport under a spotlight that usually belongs to larger, louder rigs.

The timing and scale of the event gave that move added weight. MultiGP’s 2026 International Open ran June 10-14 at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, and the league described it as the premier drone racing event in the United States. The meet was free to attend, open to all ages, and featured eight racing tracks running from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Academy of Model Aeronautics said about 200 pilots from 13 countries were expected, a field that made the Whoop bracket part of a much wider international stage.

That matters because whoop racing works differently from five-inch and other pro-spec classes, even when the stakes are just as high. The format compresses everything that makes FPV racing compelling into a tighter footprint: reflexes, line discipline, and the ability to recover instantly after gate contact. A small mistake can destroy momentum on a compact course, which is why the class rewards clean control as much as raw speed. For viewers, especially newer pilots watching at home, the appeal is obvious. The equipment is more accessible, the racing is easier to follow, and the pace still delivers the pressure of a final.

MultiGP’s own results page for IO26 backed up that status by placing WhoopVille qualifying and finals alongside the rest of the event classes, rather than treating whoop as a side attraction. The league’s main-events archive also lists International Open 2026 as a major organized event and separately recognizes Whoop as a race class, a small but telling signal about where the organization sees the format fitting in its structure.

The pattern did not begin in 2026. MultiGP’s 2025 International Open schedule already included dedicated whoop activity, from free whoop racing to a Next 16 Red Hangar Whoop race final and a WhoopVille watch party. Put together, those decisions show a class moving from entry point to centerpiece. At Muncie, the Whoop Finals did more than fill a slot on the program. They made the case that tiny drones can carry real competitive legitimacy, broaden the sport’s reach, and give MultiGP a faster path to the next generation of pilots.