This is the first year the Tiny Whoop UK League has been run to official rules approved by the BMFA. A shiny new trophy was up for grabs along with the prestige of having your name being the first one engraved for all to see.
With only 16 places available, the top pilots from across the country lined up for 10 rounds of qualifying at the BMFA Buckminster event called BOB. They were greeted by a unique and previously unseen track, all lit up with LEDs and newly developed black edges. These were put in place to make the thin white conduit in a bright white room easier to see at the high speed these top racers can achieve.
Qualifying was a great taste of what was to come. As the pilots learnt the track, times kept dropping and positions kept changing places. For a while (Circles) had some back luck and was seeded way lower than he was capable, but in the last few rounds pulled out some times we all knew he could do and laded an A Main qualifying time. It was hot competition even in qualifying with all pilots throwing down their best times to be seeded into the highest Triple Finals For All main they could achieve. This finals structure gives everyone a set of finals races and points scored for each finishing position. After 3 races, the pilot with the highest points in your race takes the victory.
1st = 10 pts
2nd = 6 pts
3rd = 3 pts
4th = 1 pts
Returning a few hours later from the rest of the BOB event, or maybe just a nap, the live stream started bang on schedule. The pilots were given a practice battery to get warmed back up. This was good news for Infinity, who mistakenly put in a dead one and just sat on the line watching everyone whoop by. Batteries back in order and with the sun going down, the LEDs started to perk up and we commenced the finals racing.
Races Commentary
D Main's Races Commentary
D Main - Race 1
RC Maniac’s signature smooth flying kept him ahead for the whole race, even with Jippyhesus nipping at his heels. A few crashes threatened to cede second position to Quadzilla, but Jippyhesus just managed to stay ahead and took second, leaving Quadzilla in third.
D Main - Race 2
Tumbling off the line, Quadzilla hit the floor and ended up upside down, allowing RC Maniac and Jippyhesus to take the lead. RC Maniac began to stretch his lead until a bump into the high gate allowed Jippyhesus to draw even at the start of the second lap. However, RC Maniac’s lead started to stretch again as Jippyhesus struggled to keep up, while a couple of crashes left Quadzilla stranded on his lid again with a failing battery. Jippyhesus just couldn't match the pace, so RC Maniac took first, Jippyhesus second, leaving Quadzilla stuck on track.
D Main - Race 3
RC Maniac took off full send from his custom launch pad, shooting through the start gate and into first. The first lap was frantic with Jippyhesus and RC Maniac swapping positions a couple of times, until RC Maniac crashed badly from the top of the high section, allowing Jippyhesus to take the lead for a lap before getting caught up in the table tunnel, letting RC Maniac retake first. While Jippyhesus was on his head, Quadzilla crashed, then RC Maniac. For a moment, everyone was upside down. Motors screamed as pilots scrambled to reset. Unfortunately, RC Maniac crashed into some wires and became stuck, unable to recover. This gave Jippyhesus unchallenged airspace to swoop into first place, with Quadzilla running out of battery before crossing the line.
C Main's Races Commentary
C Main - Race 1
Jaggers led the pack until he crashed, letting Norfolk'n'Good, Lex_FPV, and JamesTX through. He then had to fight his way back up to first position. Meanwhile, JamesTX and Norfolk'n'Good swapped places a few times, but eventually, Jaggers overtook them, finishing first, with Norfolk'n'Good in second, JamesTX in third, and Lex_FPV in fourth.
C Main - Race 2
Everyone launched off the line, causing traffic at the first high gate. Lex_FPV and JamesTX went down, leaving Norfolk'n'Good in first and being chased closely by Jaggers neck and neck through the high double into the spiral down. Duct to duct, Jaggers was blown off line and took a tumble, giving Norfolk'n'Good room to fly with JamesTX close behind. JamesTX flew fast and briefly kept a lead on Jaggers, but a tumble at the table tunnel cost him any breathing room. Jaggers soon had JamesTX in his sights, overtaking him through the high section and forcing JamesTX to crash into the bottom edge of the gate. Now Jaggers was chasing Norfolk'n'Good, passing him at the table gate just as Lex_FPV made a move on JamesTX. Lex_FPV couldn't make it stick, suffering a couple of tumbles. Jaggers moved away in first as JamesTX hunted Norfolk'n'Good. A midair bobble at the table tunnel caused Norfolk'n'Good to go down, letting JamesTX through for second, Norfolk'n'Good in third, and Lex_FPV in fourth.
But a post-race review from the spotters showed that Jaggers had flown straight under the high double gates and into the spiral. Good sportsmanship from Jaggers confirmed the infraction, dropping him to fourth, with Lex_FPV in third, Norfolk'n'Good in second, and JamesTX in first.
Paul came on the livestream to chat with Cerb and Sam, explaining that he could have gone back for the gates but, in the heat of the moment, didn’t. This split-second decision meant he forfeited the win and the points that went with it.
C Main - Race 3
In their final outing, nerves showed. JamesTX, a larger pilot, had two huge crashes and slow resets, allowing Jaggers to complete nearly a whole lap, confusing commentator Cerb into thinking Jaggers was in first. But being a lap down is no reason not to fly your hardest. Norfolk'n'Good, Lex_FPV, and Jaggers kept the pressure on, and after just a few bumps, Jaggers hit all the gates and took a comfortable first, with Lex_FPV in second and Norfolk'n'Good in third.
B Main's Races Commentary
B Main - Race 1
The Hann raised the tension by swapping a battery on the line, leaving everyone waiting in anticipation. Off the line, The Hann hit the start gate, giving Infinity FPV, Minirollsrule, and Antihype time to get away. Minirollsrule led the way, but it was so close between him and Antihype that every time Minirollsrule took a corner, he could see Antihype’s LEDs following closely. A couple of quick bobbles let Infinity FPV pass both of them to take the lead, then maintain it all the way to the finish. The fight continued between Minirollsrule and Antihype, but Antihype couldn't catch up, leaving Minirollsrule in second, Antihype in third, and unfortunately, The Hann—who had a rough start—finishing in fourth after crashing out on track.
B Main - Race 2
Jumping off the line, everyone was neck and neck to the spiral down. The Hann got caught up on the high double letting the pack get ahead. At the halfway mark, Infinity FPV was the first to touch down and tumble, letting Minirollsrule take the lead, with Antihype almost duct to duct with him. They fought for position over a whole lap, but Antihype just couldn't pass Minirollsrule's glowing pink orb—until Minirollsrule missed the table tunnel gate and got caught on the legs. Then once again, The Hann got caught up in that high double and lost time resetting slipping further back. Unfortunately, Infinity FPV had a bumpy race in third, but after Minirollsrule got bumped by Eric the sea serpent, Infinity FPV was on the chase. It was Antihype's time to shine: half a lap ahead, he cruised home to take first place. Infinity FPV did everything possible to pressure Minirollsrule, but it wasn’t enough as Minirollsrule took second, Infinity FPV took third, and The Hann, after a tough race, brought it home for fourth to a round of applause.
B Main - Race 3
Usually quick off the line, Minirollsrule went down hard at the first high gate and took a long time to reset. Antihype, Infinity FPV, and The Hann stretched out ahead. The Hann took a tumble, then half a lap later Antihype crashed hard while chasing Infinity FPV. They were neck and neck across the line into the high section when Antihype took another hit, but he caught up when Infinity FPV was knocked down by Eric. Lights trailed lights through the last few gates and into the crash gate for a surprise finish: Minirollsrule recovered from his early crash and snatched the win, Infinity FPV took second, Antihype third, and The Hann finished smoothly in fourth.
A Main's Races Commentary
A Main - Race 1
As Circles showed off his stylish shirt to the livestream, Rich was having trouble getting his whoop coaxed into life. With a backup whoop in place and fresh batteries for all, the four fastest pilots jumped off the line and into action. Dan Carpy took an early lead, his incredibly fast flying stretching out the gap, but a couple of bobbles kept Mike FPV and Rich in contention, hot on his heels. Feeling the pressure, another bobble let them both through, putting Dan on the back foot as he first passed Rich, then chased down Mike FPV, getting right behind him on the tunnel table turn. The pressure was too much for Mike, who crashed and left the gate open for Dan to sneak through and take first, with Mike in second, Rich third, and Circles fourth.
A Main - Race 2
Off the line, Dan Carpy streaked ahead as Circles reconsidered the high section before crashing hard. Coming down into sea serpent corner, Rich bounced off his back and had to reset, letting Dan Carpy establish a lead. But a little tap on the spiral down sent Dan off into the center of the track. After a quick reset, Mike FPV and Rich caught up. Feeling the pressure, Dan made another wobble at the corkscrew, letting both competitors through. Now on the back foot, Dan was chasing Rich, who was chasing Mike. The trio went through Eric's humps into the high double. A bobble from Rich let Dan through, and half a lap later, under pressure, Mike FPV bounced off the corkscrew, letting Dan briefly retake first. After getting caught in sea serpent corner, a frantic bit of stick bashing freed Dan, but not before Rich snatched first and kept it all the way into the crash gate. Another crash from pressure let Mike FPV through to finish second and start another lap, confusing Cerb, who thought Dan took second. Circles did his best to fly clean while others crashed around him, but could only claim fourth. Mike completed his confusing fifth lap, but the timer marked the end of the race, so he took second, and Dan took third.
A Main - Race 3
Dan Carpy’s launch was the fastest of the night, leading the pack around the track. A bobble by Circles put him behind, with Mike FPV and Rich giving chase. Dan then got his gates confused and headed down the tunnel too early. Needing to complete two more gates before the tunnel, this let Mike FPV through into first position. Trying to reset after the mistake, Rich caught up with Dan, and with another crash in the tunnel, Rich took second. Things fell apart as Circles rounded the corner and closed in, but Dan was up and flying again. Mike FPV led by half a lap, but not for long. First, Dan overtook Rich by forcing a mistake to move into second, then the relentless pressure forced Mike FPV into a bump with Eric. A quick reset saw Dan and Mike FPV flying duct to duct through the spiral down, but over the rest of the lap, Dan edged ahead. Mike FPV desperately chased, watching Dan’s LEDs get further ahead, but in the end, Dan took first, and Mike FPV followed closely in second. A couple of crashes from Rich gave Circles a chance at third: both were battling before the tunnel of tables, but Rich got through just ahead to clinch third place.
D Main Final Results
Overall, RC Maniac showed dominance throughout the racing. Quadzilla had a tough run, marred by multiple crashes but was very happy to walk away with 3rd place. Jippyhesus achieved 2nd place by nipping at Maniacs heels the whole event. He forced an error and was thrilled to get the win in the last race. But with 2 wins under his belt, RC Maniac had enough points at the end of the day to walk away with 1st place, even after getting tangled in electrical undergrowth.
C Main Final Results
The hot competition looked like it was between Jaggers and James TX. They had some thrilling battles with multiple crashes and position changes, but it was Norfolk’nGood who kept her cool, despite the nerves and flew the most consistently. Her and Lex kept pushing hard on whoever was leading while trading places several times. This all led to Jaggers' shocking wrong flight under the pressure. With good grace and sportsmanship he conceded the race. But even with this, his 2 wins carried him through to 1st place overall. That consistency gave Norfolk'n'Good 2nd even though James TX had a win. He took 3rd and Lex who was right there in the mix the whole time but just didn't get the points he needed got 4th place.
B Main Final Results
After psych-ing the group out swapping a battery The Hann had the volts but just not quite the speed to match. Between Antihype, InfinityFPV and Minirollsrule they were back and forth leading and losing the lead in all races. Each took a win but just managing to hold 2nd in a couple of hotly contested races gave Minirollsrule points for the 1st place medal. Once Infinity FPV got his goggles under control he took 2nd giving 3rd to Antihype and 4th to The Hann
A Main Final Results
At the top of the competition these pilots put down some absolutely incredible laps. Dan streaked away each time getting his signature lead out early but then bobbles held him back and once lost him the race. This kept the competition high in the group with all the pilots feeling the pressure of racing but no one could match Carpy’s speed when on form. A well deserved 1st place. Mike FPV managed to fly consistently well racking up 3 races of 2nd place points to take 2nd over all. Rich was blisteringly quick got a win but not the points landed in 3rd with (Circles) in 4th after some tough races.
Birthday Surprise
Scheming was afoot in the pits all day as a special card was passed around for one of our racers. Having bounded into the FPV racing scene with lots of enthusiasm we were excited to celebrate her birthday weekend. At the award ceremony, we surprised Norfolk'n'Good with a group rendition of Happy Birthday before indulging in some lovely cake! This was a great way to celebrate her birthday and the culmination of the racing year.
Round Up
After a year of races up and down the country it was great to see it all come together at this finals event. The facilities at BMFA HQ were perfect and the chilled timing of the event meant that everyone had loads of flying and time to enjoy lots of other flying activities over the weekend.
All the pilots were in great spirits and gave the racing their all producing some amazing battles and thrilling finals. Even with the prestige of the finals it was wonderful to see such camaraderie and sportsmanship at the top of the micro drone racing community.
2026 TWUK League Starts Soon
This was the first year of the league and we had 4 clubs put on events. Now the structure is established, we hope more clubs will join in for next year. If you aren't a racer, but you want to get involved with shaping the league, running events or just generally helping out with this fantastic community, please put your hand up and join in. We would love the company and the help making this the best and most friendly drone racing league it can be!
The ethos of the TWUK League is to be easy to participate and an unthreatening way into FPV racing. This is where everyone can take part, from a couple mates who meet up to tree dodge in the park, all the way up to the big clubs. Either come along and try it out at a club near you, or if you want to run a TWUK League race, reach out to the BDRA and they will help you run one. It’s easy to set up a track, all styles are welcome and we have people that can teach you how, or run the timing systems for you.
What a great year of racing!
See you at the next one!
