World FPV Drone Racing Champion

MCKFPV

MinChan Kim

MULTIGP 2022 · MULTIGP 2023 · DRL 2023 · FAI 2023 · A2RL 2026

18 YEARS COMPETING

15+ COUNTRIES COMPETED

20+ WORLD TITLES

75+ CAREER WINS

MinChan Kim at age three, holding an RC helicopter transmitter for the first time — Paju, Korea · Age 3

My dad flew RC helicopters as a hobby, and I got interested young. I was three when I started flying RC heli, and four when I entered my first competition — second place at Korea 3D Masters. I kept flying heli through my childhood, competing internationally by the time I was seven. Before I ever touched an FPV drone I was already a champion — a 3D helicopter pilot who had stood on podiums across Asia and Europe.

In 2015 I went to the practice field to fly my RC heli and saw someone flying an FPV drone — racing against other pilots. I searched about it, got obsessed immediately, bought one, and started flying in January 2016. A month later I entered my first drone race. I won it. That was the moment I knew I was going to do this for real.

I’ve flown every day since. Twelve hours a day, seven days a week — that’s how you build muscle memory. I still develop props, motors, frames with the brands I trust, because making the equipment better means everyone flies better. And these days I coach too.

There is no major drone racing championship I haven’t won. DRL World Champion. FAI World Champion. MultiGP World Champion — twice. Every title the sport has to offer. And in January 2026 I went to Abu Dhabi and beat an AI drone, four-all, final race, one gate. People say AI is catching up. They’re right. But for now, the human still wins.

MinChan Kim flying his RC helicopter at a competition, MCK-branded shirt, viewed from behind

Featured Moment · January 2026

4–4. One gate. Human wins.

EVENT: A2RL Drone Championship
DATE: 21–22 January 2026
VENUE: Abu Dhabi, UAE
FORMAT: Best of 9 vs TII Racing AI
PRIZE POOL: $600,000

Best of nine, tied at four apiece, final race. MCK held his line as the autonomous drone clipped a gate and couldn’t recover. He won by the narrowest of margins and became the human pilot who beat the AI.

MinChan Kim holding the A2RL trophy alongside an official at the A2RL Drone Championship, Abu Dhabi, January 2026 — Abu Dhabi · January 2026

2008

04 heli

Korea 3D Masters B Class

South Korea

2nd

First competition, age four. A second-place finish at Korea 3D Masters — the beginning of everything.

2009

1 more result from 2009

2009.06 Hangang Renaissance National F3N Competition 2nd

2010

3 more results from 2010

2010.05 Air Force Chief of Staff Cup Space Challenge F3N 2nd

2010.09 ALIGN FUN FLY 3D Intermediate 2nd

2010.10 Army Chief of Staff Ground Forces Festival F3N 1st

2011

2 more results from 2011

2011.07 3D Masters Netherlands 4th

2011.09 ALIGN FUN FLY 3D Advanced 2nd

2012

3 more results from 2012

2012.05 Air Force Chief of Staff Cup Space Challenge F3N Advanced 2nd

2012.10 Army Chief of Staff Ground Forces Festival F3N 1st

2012.11 Minister of Land Transport National Model Aircraft Competition 1st

2013

3 more results from 2013

2013.08 Museom Art Festival National RC Aircraft Competition 1st

2013.09 ALIGN FUN FLY 3D Advanced 3rd

2013.10 Army Chief of Staff Ground Forces Festival 3D Advanced 1st

2014

2 more results from 2014

2014.10 Army Chief of Staff Ground Forces Festival 3D Advanced 1st

2014.11 Aviation Sports Competition 2nd

2015

2 more results from 2015

2015.10 Army Chief of Staff Ground Forces Festival 3D Advanced 1st

2015.10 3DX Asia Pacific International Class 3rd

2016

01 drone

Drone Show Korea

1st

One month after picking up an FPV drone for the first time, MCK entered his first drone race — and won it.

10 more results from 2016

2016.03 World Drone Prix Freestyle 1st

2016.03 Thailand Heli Blowout Drone Racing 1st

2016.05 KT Giga Drone Racing Championship 1st

2016.06 Gwacheon Drone Day 1st

2016.07 Asia Cup Shanghai 1st

2016.08 KT Giga World Masters 1st

2016.09 DX Korea Competition 1st

2016.11 Osan World Cup 1st

2016.12 Pyeongchang — Racing 1st

2016.12 Pyeongchang — Freestyle 1st

2017

16 more results from 2017

2017.02 KAMA & DJI Arena 1st

2017.03 Awesome Drone Racing Arena 1st

2017.04 Hi-Mart Mini Drone Racing 3rd

2017.04 Korea Drone Masters 1st

2017.06 Gwacheon Drone Day 1st

2017.06 Jeonju Mayor Cup Drone Soccer (Team) 2nd

2017.06 KT Giga Championship 1st

2017.08 KT Korea Drone Masters 1st

2017.08 Chuncheon Leisure Cup 1st

2017.10 Korea Drone Championship 1st

2017.10 Army Festival Drone Racing 1st

2017.10 Yeongwol — Racing 1st

2017.10 Yeongwol — Freestyle 1st

2017.11 X-Fly Drone Racing 1st

2017.11 Drone in Seoul 2nd

2017.12 DR1 — Overall Champion 1st

2018

13 more results from 2018

2018.01 New Style Drone Racing 1st

2018.04 Hangang Drone Festival 1st

2018.05 Seoul World Cup 1st

2018.06 Incheon Robot Land 1st

2018.09 Daegu Drone Festa 3rd

2018.09 International Championship — Racing 1st

2018.09 International Championship — Slalom 1st

2018.09 Turkey World Cup 1st

2018.10 Ground Forces Festival KT Final 1st

2018.10 Yeonggwang Expo 1st

2018.11 Hong Kong WESG 1st

2018.12 UK Masters 1st

2018.12 X-Fly Team 1st

2019

14 more results from 2019

2019.03 DCL Team 1st

2019.05 Pan Asian Exhibition 1st

2019.05 Boeun Competition 1st

2019.06 FAI Seoul World Cup 2nd

2019.06 IDRLC 1st

2019.07 Alpensia Freestyle 1st

2019.07 Korea Masters Elite 1st

2019.08 Rostec Russia 1st

2019.09 Daegu FAI World Cup 1st

2019.09 Gwacheon Championship 1st

2019.10 Yeongwol Extreme Moebius 1st

2019.11 FAI World Masters Jeonju 1st

2019.11 Korea Masters — Overall Champion 1st

2019.12 Ningbo World Championship (Team) 1st

2020

2 more results from 2020

2020.06 Boeun Competition 2nd

2020.12 DCL X-Blades — Overall Champion 1st

2021

2 more results from 2021

2021.11 Seoul Drone World Cup 1st

2021.12 DCL X-Blades 2nd

2022

10 drone

MultiGP World Championship

1st

First MultiGP World Championship title. At 18, MCKFPV became the world's best MultiGP pilot.

6 more results from 2022

2022.02 USA Championship Series 1st

2022.02 Costa Rica Championship 1st

2022.04 MultiGP Ice Storm 1st

2022.06 MultiGP Open Class 1st

2022.07 Korea FAI World Cup 1st

2022.09 Turkey World Cup 1st

2023

02 drone

DRL World Championship

Miami, FL

1st

DRL World Champion. The Drone Racing League's premier event, won at 19 — in front of thousands of fans in Miami.

10 drone

FAI World Championship

1st

FAI World Champion — individual gold and team gold. The sport's official governing body championship, a clean sweep.

3 more results from 2023

2023.07 Serbia World Cup 1st

2023.08 Namwon World Cup 1st

2023.10 MultiGP World Championship 1st

2024

8 more results from 2024

2024.02 Game of Future Russia (Team) 1st

2024.04 Dubai MultiGP 2nd

2024.05 Yangju Dronebot 1st

2024.06 KDRA Gongju 1st

2024.06 Netherlands Global3D 2nd

2024.08 China 3DX 1st

2024.10 FAI World Drone Masters 1st

2024.10 Formula League 1st

2025

01 drone

Saudi World Cup

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

1st

Winner of the Saudi World Cup in Riyadh — a major international title to open 2025.

2 more results from 2025

2025.01 China World Cup 1st

2025.05 Australia BOOMSTRIKE 2 1st

2026

02 drone

A2RL Human vs AI Drone Championship

Abu Dhabi, UAE

1st

Best of nine. Tied at four apiece. Final race. MCK held his line as the autonomous drone clipped a gate — human wins.

A2RL Human vs AI Drone Championship, 2026

1 more result from 2026

2026.01 Abu Dhabi Game of Future 2nd

Bcrow

"Light and solid thanks to the aluminum mid plate — makes tuning much easier."
ZEX

"The 80A mini ESC simply flies better. Less noise, lets me push without worry even on high-KV motors."
COLLAB
Gemfan

"The best prop company in the world. I love developing props with them — it's one of the most important parts of the build."
COLLAB
VCI

"Less burn, light, and strong. I can push in competition without worrying about burning out."
Tattu

"Absolute GOAT. The 1700mAh is so light you have to send it 100%."
GensAce

"Absolute GOAT. Best 6000mAh packs for heli."
T-Hobby

"The F7 Mini MPU6000 tunes a drone to fly like the simulator."
RadioMaster

"The GOAT. Radio, RX, ELRS module, even flight controller gyro for heli — just the best."
HDZero

"A game changer for drone racing. I can't fly without HDZero."
TrueRC

"I only use TrueRC — and I think most serious pilots do too. We race on 5.8GHz, video signal is everything, and TrueRC makes bad conditions look clean."
HOTA

"The best charger."
NewBeeDrone

"Great gear across the board, but their tiny whoops are the GOAT."