About

Paramotoring has been around since the early 90s. Looking like flying armchairs, paramotors are in fact engine-powered paragliders. These remarkably simple craft are a cross between a parachute and a microlight.

>> Fast forward 30 years we now have professional pilots racing them 🏁

Despite their simplicity they can perform remarkable feats. They have been flown at 7,500m in the Himalayas and have gone 1,200km without stopping.
Recent equipment developments have enabled our professional pilots to fly even faster & with more manoeuvrability then ever before. Making way for a new generation of pro pilots that have come together to race and demonstrate their skills and acrobatic talent in an aerial discipline we call ‘Sky Racing’- a form of precision speed racing, created by the PARABATIX Team as a way of showcasing the sport with world-class professional pilots. The sky racer pilots fly just meters above the ground at speeds of up to 85km/h as they skim, soar and perform manoeuvrers with incredible daring accuracy right in front of an amazed crowd. Flying around giant inflatable pylons, the pilots perform ‘It’s a Knockout’ precision style tasks. Kicking batix balls, picking up super-sized rings while flying slalom figures-of-eight at high speed against the clock are just some of the tasks for these top pilots.

What is a Sky Race

Each sky racer must fly a defined aerial race course at low altitude. The track is defined by the layout of the giant pylons on every corner.

Each sky race track is different.

When a sky racer enters the course they must start the time by touching the time -stick to trigger the chronometer. They must then race round the track as fast as possible while completing precision tasks along the way then finish up by hitting the time-stick on the way out of the course to stop the time.

Their time score is instantly ranked and the fastest time wins!

Depending on the layout of the sky race sometimes there are the precision tasks can vary from obstacles and/or interactive ground objects that must be picked up, displaced in order to avoid any time penalties.
Speed AND precision are key to winning!

Precision examples:
– A batix ball situated along the race track must be picked-up by the pilot using their legs and placed in a drop zone situated further along the track.
– Pilot must land on a time-scored target at the end of the sky race course.

Example of a typical Sky race track

Above is an example of a sky race course (over head view).

• As you can see the green track shows the path that should be flown and direction.
• The white dots are the positions of the pylons.
• In this particular sky race there is one time-stick that acts as the start & stop time trigger.
• The sky racer must also kick the giant blue batix balls out of the marked rectangle zones along the track, then go for the finish!

How the scoring works

Each sky race is timed and has its own ranking, the first being the fastest. The times of each sky race is cumulated into one overall Parabatix ranking (for the end result & podium).

Sky Races

Speed Race (SR) – Pure speed, no precision task

The aim is to follow a defined track around the pylons as quickly as possible. The sky racer is timed from the moment they touch the time-stick to the moment they touch it again to stop the time.

Bonus Race (BR) – Speed & Precision

The goal is to complete the Sky Race and collect the bonus along the track.  If the bonus is collected time is deducted from the sky racers track time. (Bonus can be collecting a ring or displacing a batix ball).

Freestyle Race  (FR) – Speed & Precision (no set track)

As soon as the time-stick has been triggered the sky racers must complete the precision task/s before stopping the time.
The sky racer is free to choose his/her track and tactic in order to complete the precision race in the fastest time.

Special Sky Races: (SSR)

Special tasks can be proposed before / during / after take off or landing for the sky race, including precision take-offs, landings.
Example: pilot must land on a target or set-zone un-equip their flying gear from them selves as fast as possible and run on foot to stop the time-stick.

Time Limit & Out-of-track rule

Each sky race has its maximum time limit.
If the sky race track is not followed correctly OR If the track is not completed, the pilot is scored at this maximum time.

The fastest and most precise pilot wins!

More about the sky racing pilots here 🏁