Attack of the drones! Star Wars inspires 70mph mid-air races by French drone fans - who say it's the new Formula 1
- Enthusiasts set up assault course in the woods in Argonay, southern France
- They wear goggle-mounted monitors to see from their £150 quadcopters
- Scene mirrors speeder chase from 1983 hit Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Group founder Herve Pellarin, 44, said: 'Drone racing is a new motorsport'
It looks just like that speeder chase on the Forest Moon of Endor... if you squint really, really hard.
In fact it's a stunt by hardcore drone-owners, who have emulated their favourite Star Wars scene by racing £150 quadcopters through the woods.
The group of men - and they do seem to be mostly men - wear goggle-mounted monitors as they race radio-controlled machines at up to 70mph near their homes in the French Alps.
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On your marks: Drone enthusiasts have emulated Star Wars by racing £150 quadcopters through the woods
Assault course: Unlike the Forest Moon of Endor, hairpin bends are clearly marked with red tape and arrows
They claim the exhilarating sport is Formula 1 for the 21st Century, allowing them to blur the effect of a video game and a real life race.
It is carefully modelled on one of the climactic scenes in the 1983 hit Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, when Luke Skywalker whizzes through the woods in a bid to stop stormtroopers from sounding the alarm.
There are a few crucial differences.
The course is marked out with red-and-white tape and plastic tree-mounted arrows, so the fiery crashes are less likely.
And instead of using the force, the enthusiasts see through a front-mounted camera while another films the experience for a highlights clip.
But the members of AIRgonay, a group of 60 radio-controlled flying machine hobbyists who live in Argonay, southern France, insist theirs is still an adrenaline-junkie's sport.
Event: The drone enthusiasts in the French Alps meet every lunchtime for a quick whizz through the woods
Hobbyists: One of the 60 members of the AIRgonay group with his £150 radio-controlled machine in the forest
They meet every lunchtime for a quick whizz around the woodland, and insist their high-speed drones rarely break down despite the pressure they're placed under.
Group founder Herve Pellarin, 44, said: 'When we first started there were a lot of broken drones.
'It takes some practice to fly them - even now there are a few crashes whenever several drones round a tight corner. But the drones are very light so they don't break easily and can take a fall quite well.'
The smartphone app designer added: 'When me and my friends first started chasing each others' drones around I thought to myself "wow, this is just like Star Wars" - especially when we're in the woods.
'I used to be a champion skateboarder, but an injury meant I had to stop.
'I'm addicted to adrenaline, and drone racing gives me a chance to get some excitement. Flying through the woods at super speed is pretty thrilling.
Quadcopter: The contraptions, with front-mounted cameras, are capable of reaching top speeds of 70mph
Woodland: The men insist there are fewer fiery high-speed crashes into trees than in the 1983 blockbuster
Delicate: The quadcopter racers admit that 'when we first started there were a lot of broken drones'
Cheap: Despite their advanced technology, the racers insist their £150 contraptions are very affordable
'I found a piece of forest and I negotiated with the council to let us fly there on weekday lunchtimes. All of us leave work and meet up for a race over lunch.'
Each quadcopter has two cameras mounted on the front - one to relay the video to a pair of goggles which acts as monitor, and another to record the flight.
Mr Pellarin said he hopes the sport will become popular all over the world.
'Drone racing is a new motorsport for the 21st century,' he said. 'We would like people to set up their own quadcopter clubs and events. I would love it if there was a league.
'The sport is so representative of the time we live in. It uses state-of-the-art technology.'
Adrenaline junkies: The members of the group. Founder Herve Pellarin, 44, said: 'Drones are a new motorsport'
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