---
title: "A Camera Drone Chasing Stock Cars Is the Next Stage of Race Broadcasts"
description: "Formula 1, are you seeing this?"
date: "2018-01-09"
modified: "2018-01-09"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/17495/a-camera-drone-chasing-stock-cars-is-the-next-stage-of-race-broadcasts"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "camera"
  - "dirt track"
  - "drone"
  - "Drones"
  - "Race"
  - "stock car"
  - "UAV"
---

# A Camera Drone Chasing Stock Cars Is the Next Stage of Race Broadcasts

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/01/stock-car-2.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

One of the big problems with Formula 1's [new cockpit protection halo](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/14539/fia-formally-finalizes-f1s-halo-as-mandatory-for-2018>)—other than the fact that it looks terrible—is that it blocks the view of the traditional cockpit camera. Racing is already tricky enough to broadcast in a cohesive manner, and onboard views are the best method we currently have to bring viewers along for the ride. IndyCar [has its Visor Cam,](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/11196/indycars-graham-rahal-shows-us-we-need-more-visor-cam-in-racing>) so F1, consider this video game view of junky stock cars racing around a dirt track as Exhibit A in the argument for camera drones.

Drones are already used by several series like the World Rally Championship to provide a bird's eye view of the proceedings, and obviously racing drones are nothing new, but [the idea of combining the two](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/8430/watch-a-drone-chase-rallycross-cars-around-a-gravel-track>) into an unmanned aerial chase vehicle has yet to be attempted in a major professional race. Safety is a big concern, as a falling drone could cause a crash or injure spectators on the ground depending on where it landed.

But such trivial matters don't apply when you're talking about a rural dirt track and a Saturday night race with bunch of old, beat-up stock cars. YouTuber Skinlab FPV flies a custom-built drone with a Torc frame and Cobra motors, and he [documented the competition](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9O4_ZZRj5g>) by following the cars around the oval at speed. The result is a crazy third-person, video-game-esque perspective that gives the viewer a great sense of both speed *and* position.

https://youtube.com/embed/r9O4_ZZRj5g

Skinlab notes in the comments that his rig has a top speed of about 80 mph, and that he's able to go even faster by tucking into the slipstream created by the cars. As drone technology continues to improve, it's not hard to imagine a series of camera rigs floating above the action in a constant stream, always ready to lock on to a specific car at a moment's notice. Of course, F1 could just always [lose the halo.](<https://www.thedrive.com/start-finish/16262/williams-halo-proving-quite-difficult-for-2018-f1-chassis-integration>)

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)