Teen sets sights on world drone racing

DESPITE the limited time he had to train flying a drone, 15-year-old Muhammad Adam Mohd Khuzairi did not let his daily routine as a student dampen his hopes of winning in the World Drone Racing Championships.
Muhammad Adam who first began handling the remote control for the drone last year hopes to compete internationally for the experience and to interact with others competitors from around the world.
"From Monday to Friday, I usually do not touch the drone, I can only play with it on Saturday after midnight until dawn, as before that I have to go for my tuition classes. I can only train on Saturdays and Sundays," he told Bernama recently.
Last weekend, Muhammad Adam was one of the youngest participants at the EcoWorld MultiGP Drone Racing Championship 2016 held at the Bukit Bintang City Centre here.
Going by the name "Adam Junior", he said competing with 49 others was tough and challenging as it was the first time he was facing foreign competitors.
"Although I did not get into the final, the experience has encouraged me to perform better in future competitions.
"Previously, I participated in two competitions in Terengganu and Rawang, Selangor, and in both, I finished second," Muhammad Adam, who hopes to be an engineer, said.
A student of the Maahad Tahfiz At-Tijarah in Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Muhammad Adam said handling the drone remote control requires mental strength and emotional control.
"If we are nervous, it would cause our hand and fingers to shake ... this usually leads to the drone crashing or colliding," said the eldest of three siblings.
Meanwhile, managing director of 2 Cool Production Sdn Bhd Mark Chua who is also the organiser of the event said Muhammad Adam was as skilful as other adult participants and could be successful in future competitions.
"In the qualifying rounds, Adam was among participants who completed in double quick time and was among the top five among 32 participants who qualified," he said.
Chua said the five participants who won the championship would head to Hawaii, USA, for the World Drone Racing Championship in October.
"They won not because of the drone's sophisticated designs, but based on their skills in managing it ... the 300m track during the competition was difficult as it was narrow and they had to make a clean turn in only three minutes," he said.
He said the competition which had participants from Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Indonesia was not only held in Kuala Lumpur, but also at the Eco Tropics, Pasir Gudang, Johor (October); Eco Gardens, Ijok, Selangor (November) and Eco Terrace, Paya Terubong, Penang in January.
The event, the first-ever organised by Eco World Development Group Berhad and MultiGP Malaysia, would be continued as a platform for drone enthusiasts to showcase their talent as well as highlight the correct usage of the drone, he said.
Chua added that he hoped the government, especially the Youth and Sports Ministry, would support his efforts to promote new talents in the event and make it a sports event. — Bernama