The Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend will see the launch of the Airspeeder Race Series (2020) powered by Alauda Racing, an Australian start-up.

Forget Formula One and even its green sibling, Formula E because the Airspeeder Race Series set to kick off in 2020 is being launched this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Part of the Festival of Speed Future Lab, the Airspeeder Race Series is being launched by title sponsor, Equals (money management) and is the brainchild of Australian start-up Alauda Racing.

What the hell is it? Think of Formula One meets Drone Racing…at least that’s what Alauda Racing wants you to think. And it has released a series of videos on its website (click here) showing the development of its currently-unmanned racer. It will conduct manned trials later this year before the inaugural five teams and 10 pilots Airspeeder Race Series kicks-off in 2020.

The manned Airspeeder Mark IV Quadcopter will be on static display at the Festival of Speed while the ground-controlled Mk II Speeder will give public demonstrations as a hint of what we can expect from the Airspeeder series next year… a public demonstration of the manned Mk IV speeder will be held in the Mojave Desert in November this year.

Each vertical take-off and landing quadcopter is powered by four 24kW electric motors with a 500kW battery pack which will last for about 15 minutes of flying time.

Here’s how the Airspeeder Race Series is described, “each sky-high Grand Prix will take place at a different landmark motorsport venue around the world, with Mk IV Airspeeder pilots competing in timed trials and heart-pounding white-knuckle head-to-head races 20 meters above ground”.

According to Alauda Racing, the Australian start-up that devised the concept, the Mk IV speeder will travel at up to 200km/h and offer a power-to-weight ratio superior to an F-18 fighter jet.

Matt Pearson, founder and CEO of Alauda Racing, and the driving force behind the Airspeeder race series, said: “Flying cars are no longer a fantasy, they are a reality and Goodwood Festival of Speed is the perfect place to introduce Airspeeder to the world. We’ve taken design cues from the golden era of racing, and we’re sure the tens of thousands of enthusiasts present will instantly appreciate this evolution of motorsport. Totally absorbing, and all electric, it will appeal to a whole new generation of race fans.”

Question: Is this the future of motorsport or total nonsense?