South Gloucestershire and Bristol Drone Club unveils 2026 summer series schedule

South Gloucestershire and Bristol Drone Club has locked in a 2026 Summer Series that makes consistency, not just raw speed, the title race. The Bristol-area club unveiled six rounds from April 18 through September 5, with championship standings set to be finalized in October and only club members eligible to take the season crown.

The defining feature is the same fastest three consecutive laps format SGDC used in 2024 and 2025. That matters because it changes racecraft in a way single-lap qualifiers do not: one heroic flyer is not enough. Pilots now have to link three clean laps under pressure, which rewards technical precision, rhythm, and the ability to recover without throwing away a run. It gives disciplined racers an edge over all-out risk takers, especially on tracks where line choice, throttle control, and clean signal management decide whether a hot lap becomes a championship score.

SGDC said the series is open to members and non-members, with public registration opening one week before each event. The club’s home base is Yate Outdoor Sports Complex on Broad Lane in Bristol BS37 7LB, and the summer schedule places rounds on April 18, May 16, June 20, July 18, August 8, and September 5. The June and August dates are marked as GQ events, while the July round is listed as a BQE, giving the series extra weight for pilots chasing qualification and ranking opportunities beyond the club table.

That broader pathway is part of why the schedule matters. BMFA said SGDC is hosting the country’s only Global Qualifier again for the fourth year and also the UK’s first combined BQE and GQ event at Yate Outdoor Sports Complex. MultiGP, which says it is the largest professional drone racing league in the world with more than 30,000 registered pilots and over 500 active chapters, adds another layer of significance to SGDC’s summer calendar, since club-level results can connect into a much wider racing structure.

SGDC, established in August 2021, says its membership is around 35 people and that its events welcome pilots of all abilities. That mix is part of the club’s value: new racers can enter the same seasonal format as seasoned FPV pilots, learn the tracks over multiple rounds, and build toward the October finish instead of treating each date as a one-off. The 2026 series follows a pattern already set in 2024 and 2025, showing how grassroots drone racing can stay accessible while still demanding the kind of repeatable pace that separates contenders from everybody else.