Bruno Senna joins Airspeeder as pilot and ambassador

There seems to be no category that Bruno Senna can’t compete in, as the Brazilian has announced that he will be the driver of one of the world’s first electric flying cars after joining Airspeeder!

Bruno has raced in Formula 1, Formula E, the FIA World Endurance Championship and was also the winner of the World eX race. Now it has been announced that he will become a driver-developer and global ambassador for Airspeeder, the creator of the world’s first electric flying car racing series. The first EXA race will be announced soon, and Senna joins a strong list of drivers that includes one of Australia’s leading female drivers and a Drone Champions League competitor.

The races will initially be remote-controlled and will become a fully crewed series from 2023 onwards. Senna will play a key role in the development of the sport and the technical and dynamic development of the speeders involved.

Matt Pearson, founder of Alauda Aeronautics and Airspeeder, is very proud to have Senna on board and believes the Brazilian will bring unrivalled attention to the championship:

“We are proud that Bruno Senna has decided to join the Airspeeder family as a race and development pilot. Throughout his career he has demonstrated his incredible ability as a pure racer. Bruno is also a world-class race car developer with a fascination for cutting-edge technology.

“His racing and development background in F1, Formula E, eSport and drone racing perfectly prepares him to lead the world’s most exciting and advanced new motorsport formula. Our upcoming EXA competitions represent the perfect blend of these sports. And Bruno brings to Airspeeder one of the most recognizable names in global motorsport and incredible attention, with an unparalleled track record in technical development of race cars, racing at the absolute limit.”

Senna himself is extremely enthusiastic about what Airspeeder stands for and what they want to achieve. The Brazilian is therefore looking forward to being part of the racing of the future:

“I couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit Airspeeder to be part of this incredible sport. I am proud to be part of the world’s first electric flying car racing series. The Airspeeder combines my passion for racing, flying and high-tech development. I am looking forward to taking the controls of these incredible vehicles. I want to show the world the potential of a true new generation of motorsport.

“I’m a racer at heart, but I’m also obsessed with technology. I’m fascinated by the potential of the fast-approaching world-changing revolution in advanced air mobility. As an airspeeder pilot, I am particularly excited to be creating the space and space for the industry to rapidly develop the hardware and digital technologies that will deliver on the promise of electric flying cars. This is a role motorsport has played since the dawn of motoring. I’m proud to play a pioneering role, like my racing predecessors, in the mobility revolution in the furnace of sports racing.”

Senna is known to have a keen interest in UAV flight and development, and in his spare time he also works on drone conversions. He is fascinated by the technical advances that can be achieved through modifications and improvements. All of these ingredients combine to make him the perfect ambassador for Airspeeders, not only now, but for the future.

In his first role as a development pilot, Senna will work with the company’s senior engineering team. They make up Aluada Aeronautics (also founded by Matt Pearson), the designers and manufacturers of the EXA and Airspeeder race-speeder series. The company itself has an impressive pedigree. Among others, they have multiple F1 World Championship-winning composite engineers from Ferrari and leading talent from McLaren’s hypercar development. Not only that, the company also works with senior project managers at Airbus, Boeing and Rolls-Royce.

Senna is keen to use the skills he learned as a racer and incorporate that knowledge into the Airspeeders to make racing as exciting as possible:

“It’s amazing when you look at racing with the added vertical dimension. As a racer, I’m excited to redefine racing arcs, overtaking approaches and pit road strategy in this highly dynamic environment. We are even considering how best to approach the different dynamic conditions when following someone closely in preparation for overtaking. As an airspeeder pilot, we are not limited by the effects of “dirty air” when we are following closely. This will provide fans with close, thrilling and ultimately amazing racing. Whether they are watching motorsport for the first time or have been following racing for a lifetime.”

Senna will also play a key role in training drivers to the same level as F1 drivers. This is no surprise, as the elite drivers in the EXA Racing Series will fly full-size Mk3 Speeders and fight knife-edge battles at speeds of up to 200km/h. Speeders competing in the Airspeeder races will boast the same fast hairpin acceleration as a Formula 1 car. With the added dimension of vertical movement, drivers should eventually be able to sustain more than 6G. A figure comparable to the toughest numbers in classic motorsport. Senna’s experience will be invaluable in preparing EXA drivers for these conditions as they move into the phase where they will need crews.

The Brazilian pilot and his fellow drivers will race through tracks that are presented to them using augmented reality technology on advanced Head Up Display (HUD) screens. All of this will be presented to viewers from the perspective of a real driver, giving fans a new dimension and perspective.

This will be one of the most sustainable forms of motorsport, as it will not require the usually large infrastructure required by traditional racing. The Senna name will therefore continue to be one of the leading figures in world motorsport!