The Australian Drone Nationals is back for 2026, and this year it runs in Brisbane. Five days at the track (four of them racing), the biggest qualifying field since 2019, and the national title on the line.
We are proud to be an FPV Industry Sponsor of the 2026 Australian Drone Nationals. If you are racing, spectating, or still deciding whether to make the trip north, here is what you need to know. There is a straight gear guide further down so you turn up with the right kit.
The fast facts
WHEN?
Wednesday 30 September to Sunday 4 October 2026. Wednesday is setup and pilot check-in. Racing runs Thursday to Sunday from 9:00am, and Pro Spec races into the evening. Full times are in the schedule below.
WHERE?
Western Districts Rugby Football Club, Memorial Park, 65 Sylvan Rd, Toowong QLD 4066. About 10 minutes from the Brisbane CBD.
WHO RUNS IT?
AUFPV, the national body for FPV drone racing in Australia, together with the MAAA and MultiGP.
CLASSES?
Open Class (up to 96 pilots) and Pro Spec (up to 48 pilots).
THE OFFICIAL DETAIL
Event home · Schedule · Pilot Handbook · 2026 Rulebook
Read the official Rulebook and Pilot Handbook before you commit to anything on this page. AUFPV sets the technical spec and their rules win. Nothing below overrides them.
The schedule
This is AUFPV's published run sheet. Times can move on the day, so check the official AUFPV schedule before you head out.
All times are Brisbane time (AEST). Heads up if you are driving up from NSW: daylight saving starts in NSW on Sunday 4 October, finals day, and Queensland does not change its clocks. So Brisbane is an hour behind Sydney that day.
Wednesday 30 September: setup
- Track setup through the day. No racing.
- 4:00pm to 6:00pm: pilot check-in and scrutineering
Thursday 1 October and Friday 2 October: qualifying
- 8:30am: pilot briefing
- 9:00am to 5:00pm: Open Class qualifying, in four groups
- 5:30pm to 9:30pm: Pro Spec qualifying, flown after dark
Saturday 3 October: seeding, brackets and Pro Spec finals
- 8:30am: pilot briefing
- 9:00am to 11:00am: seeded Open Class qualifying, 1st to 48th
- 11:00am to 1:00pm: seeded Open Class qualifying, 49th to 96th
- 1:00pm to 4:30pm: Bottom 48 double elimination brackets
- 5:00pm to 10:00pm: pilot dinner and the Pro Spec finals (16 pilot double elimination, C, B and A mains with top 4 bump ups)
Sunday 4 October: finals day
- 8:30am: pilot briefing
- 9:00am to 10:00am: Young Guns (under 16), top 16 single elimination
- 10:00am to 11:00am: Old Dogs (over 40), top 16 single elimination
- 11:00am to 2:30pm: Top 48 Open Class elimination finals
- 2:30pm to 3:30pm: awards and closing
What changed for 2026
The big one: Pro Spec is now a qualified class. It used to be open entry. Now only the top 48 pilots get a seat. AUFPV reported 52 pilots setting a Pro Spec qualifying time, up from 32 Pro Spec pilots in 2025.
Qualifying ran as a DVR submission series. Pilots flew a standard track and sent in footage of their best three consecutive laps, timed gate to gate.
That standard track tells you plenty about the racing. The hurdle sits at least a metre high with a four metre gap between its flags. The up-gate is pitched no steeper than 45 degrees, with its lower edge at least 1.5 metres off the ground. This is proper racecraft, and it rewards pilots who have put the practice in.
Qualifying closed on 30 June. AUFPV reported 164 pilots through the series from around the country and overseas, the strongest field since 2019. The racing in Toowong will be quick.
Open Class or Pro Spec?
Open Class has no hardware limits. Bring your best build and chase the fastest lap you can fly. Everyone else will be doing the same. The outright national title gets decided here, and so does the equipment race.
Pro Spec caps the hardware so the result comes down to the pilot. Spec racing is good value for money. You are not buying new motors every season, and a setup you know well will beat a shiny one you do not. Now that you have to qualify for it, the 48 pilot field will be tight.
The hardware limits for both classes are in the 2026 Rulebook. Check it before you buy anything, and check it twice for Pro Spec.
The gear guide: what matters at a five day race meet
Winning a Nationals comes down to three things. A setup you know well, enough spares to survive a bad heat, and a pit that still works on day three. Here is how we would approach it.
1. Your radio and control link
This is the part worth spending real money on. It is the only piece you carry from quad to quad, and a good radio outlives half a dozen airframes.
What you pay for is gimbal quality. The same stick feel over hundreds of packs, in the heat, race after race. If you fly a hand-me-down radio and your lap times have stopped improving, this is often the reason.
- RadioMaster radios. The default pick for most racers, from pocket size up to full size hall gimbal units.
- TBS Tango 2. Still very popular on race lines for how simple it keeps things.
- ExpressLRS receivers and modules. The current standard for a low latency link.
- TBS Crossfire. A solid link if that is what you already run.
Pack a spare receiver. They are small and cheap, and a dead RX ends your weekend if you cannot swap one in the pits.
2. Video: goggles, cameras and antennas
You cannot race what you cannot see. Video quality decides whether you commit to a gap or back off.
- FPV goggles and gear
- FPV cameras, including Foxeer, a Gold Sponsor of this year's Nationals
- 5.8GHz antennas and TrueRC
Antennas are the most ignored upgrade in racing. A bent or cracked antenna costs you range and clarity long before it fails outright. Bring spares for the quad and the goggles. Check your video system and channel setup against the Pilot Handbook before you travel.
3. Power: packs, straps and connectors
Five days is a lot of cycles. Work out how many packs you get through on a normal race day, then bring more than that. Charge time between heats disappears once the schedule tightens up.
- 6S LiPo packs, the racing standard
- All LiPo batteries, including CNHL
- Battery straps. Bring a fistful. They are the cheapest thing that can ruin your day
- XT60 connectors and adapters
Check your pack voltages at home. Finding a puffed cell in the pits is a bad way to start a weekend.
4. The pit setup
This is what separates a calm weekend from a stressful one. Charging capacity is the real bottleneck at a multi day meet.
- LiPo chargers and iSDT smart chargers
- AC to DC power supplies. Size this properly, because an undersized PSU slows your whole pit down
- Bat-Safe LiPo storage for charging and storing safely, which matters more when you are packed in next to other people's gear
- LiPo dischargers for getting packs to storage voltage before the drive home
5. Props, motors and spares
Props are consumables. Motors are half consumable. Plan for both.
- 5 inch propellers from Gemfan and Ethix
- T-Motor, AXIS Flying and Armattan motors
- 5 inch frame kits and spare arms
- 4-in-1 ESCs and 30x30 flight controllers
Honest advice: bring a full spare arm set, a spare motor, and more props than feels reasonable. If your class allows it, a second built quad flying the same rates is the best insurance you can carry to a Nationals.
6. Tools and field repairs
Everything breaks eventually. What counts is whether you can fix it between heats.
- FPV and hobby tool kits
- Portable soldering irons. A battery or USB-C iron earns its place at a field event
- General quadcopter spares
The pit checklist
Print this, or screenshot it:
- Quad or quads, plus a built spare if you can manage it
- Spare arms, motors, and a spare stack
- Props, double what you would normally bring
- Batteries, charged and checked, plus a storage bag or case
- Charger, PSU, extension lead, power board
- Radio, charged. Spare receiver. USB cable for Betaflight changes
- Goggles, charged. Spare goggle battery. Spare antennas for quad and goggles
- Soldering iron, solder, wire, heatshrink
- Hex drivers, prop tool, zip ties, battery straps, thread lock
- Laptop with Betaflight and your config backups
- Sunscreen, hat, water, and a chair. It is five days outdoors in Queensland
Coming to watch?
Memorial Park in Toowong is an easy trip from the Brisbane CBD, and national level FPV racing is worth seeing in person. The speed reads very differently trackside than it does on a screen. If you have been curious about the sport but have not tried it, a Nationals is the best introduction you will get. You see what the hardware can really do, and the Australian FPV community is a welcoming one.
Getting there. The venue is the Western Districts Rugby Football Club, Memorial Park, 65 Sylvan Rd, Toowong. Auchenflower train station is close by. AUFPV has not published spectator parking details, so the train may be the easier option.
Entry. AUFPV has not published spectator entry details. If you want to check before you go, email info@aufpv.org.au.
When to go. Racing runs from 9:00am Thursday to Sunday. For the big moments, the Pro Spec finals run on Saturday evening from 5:00pm, and the Top 48 Open Class finals run on Sunday from 11:00am to 2:30pm, with awards after. Pro Spec flies after dark with LED lit quads, which is worth seeing in person.
Bringing kids? Anyone under 18 must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.
Can't make it? The event is being live streamed. Stream links, live timing and a 3D track view are on the AUFPV live page.
If you walk away wanting to fly, our Starting Racing guide is the sensible next step. It covers what you actually need to get on a race line without wasting money on the wrong gear first.
Phaser FPV is backing the 2026 Nationals
We are an FPV Industry Sponsor of the 2026 Australian Drone Nationals, alongside Title Sponsor Mission Foods, Gold Sponsors Mantis FPV, Foxeer and Prusa Research, and fellow FPV Industry Sponsors Next FPV, Gemfan, HQ PROP, VCI, HGLRC and Schwifty Long Range Packs.
Australian FPV racing has carried this hobby for a decade, and events like the Nationals are what keep it healthy. They give newer pilots something to aim at, and they give the rest of us a reason to keep sharpening. Backing it was an easy call.
If you are building or restocking for Toowong and you want a second opinion, get in touch. We race too, and we would rather help you get the right part first time than sell you the wrong one twice.
Good luck to everyone on the start line. See you in Brisbane.