ZEPHATALI WALSH MAKES HISTORY AS WINNER OF THE WORLD'S FIRST FLYING CAR RACE

A landmark moment in both the history of motorsport and the genesis of the flying car mobility revolution has been made in the salt flats of South Australia. Airspeeder pilot Zephatali Walsh beat fellow-competitor Fabio Tischler in a tense and close inaugural EXA remotely piloted race. This was the first time two pilots were given full license to race their 4.1m long eVTOL race-craft blade-to-blade in a fully competitive race setting.

No concession to preserving their vehicles was made as the competitive instincts of born racers was on display from the very beginning of this historic first race, staged above the pink salt flats of Lake Lochiel near Adelaide, South Australia. Every second of the 270+ test flights and thousands of hours of simulator preparation informed both competitors approach to securing their place in the history of motorsport and flying cars as the next great coming leap in human transportation.

“Every transformative moment in human transportation has been accelerated by motorsport. As we stand on the cusp of the 21st century’s great leap forward in delivering on the promise of flying cars, the role competition plays is as important as ever. For this reason, in winning the world’s first flying car race, Zephatali Walsh has not just made motor sport history but writes his own chapter in the genesis of a mobility revolution. This is just the start, this first race offers only a glimpse of our promise to deliver the most progressive, transformative and exciting motorsport in the world. We look forward to delivering many more races and breath-taking moments.”

This skill and commitment was on show from the very beginning, with three overtakes in the first lap alone. The most daring manoeuvre of all was rewarded with the ultimate victory, when Zephatali daringly overtook Tischler who had gone wide at Turn 1.

On losing speed on exit, Zephatali made his move flying just one meter below his fellow competitor to secure the track position that ultimately led to this historic maiden victory. This move illustrated the scope for drama when racing craft at close quarters with F1 car turning ability and the third dimension of vertical manoverability.