Luisa Rizzo, 24 years old from Lecce, is the winner of the fourth stage of the Italian professional 'Drone Racing' championship, in which a total of eight pilots competed, as part of the first edition of 'Esercito 1659 Drone Challenge', held in Rome at the Tor di Quinto military racecourse. The 24-year-old now leads the tournament, while the winner of the 'open' category, reserved for amateurs, was Massimo Colombo Kyle, 19 years old from Varese.
A total of forty people took part in the various competitions held over the two-day sporting event, which concluded today — 16 civilian pilots and 18 military pilots, in addition to the 8 professionals — in front of a crowd that watched the speed and trajectory races of the drones, with decisions even made using VAR analysis, much like in a football match.
The Esercito 1659 Drone Challenge, an initiative by the Ministry of Defence organised by Difesa Servizi and the Italian Army, also featured a series of guests who took part in a talk to share their views on the topic of drones. "This is a pioneering world, and within its cross-cutting applications there is the sporting aspect, which like the great motorsports has major venues," explained the CEO of Difesa Servizi, Luca Andreoli. "Today we are witnessing the high level of performance that can be achieved through drone racing: it is a different way of conceiving sport, no longer purely physical, and for this reason even more inclusive."
For the Army Chief of Staff, Carmine Masiello, it is "a pleasure to see how these young people pilot drones — it is also a learning moment for us. They are far more skilled than our military personnel, who do not dedicate themselves exclusively to this. It is important for us as a country to begin tackling these innovative topics together as a system." A talk on the subject also featured the CEO of Leonardo Spa, Lorenzo Mariani, who noted that from an industrial defence perspective, "we must also take into account platforms, but ones that are different from those of the past: they must be protected from drones, but also use them and be connected in networks and at satellite level — things that a few years ago were known about but were not considered as critically necessary as they are today." On the sporting front, the president of 'Aeroclub Italia', Stefano Arcifa, put forward the idea that Rome could one day become "the first venue for an international Olympic event dedicated to drones." From recreational uses to emergency services, the drone phenomenon, according to the figures provided, is growing exponentially: "In 2025 we reached 330,000 registered licence holders, an increase of 30% compared to the previous year," explained the president of ENAC, Sandro Pappalardo.
