Qualifying events will take place on Sunday to determine which four drone pilots will represent the ACT at the national drone racing championships later this year.

About 20 drone pilots will be put through their paces at the Weston Creek Archery Club in a series of races, testing their speed and skill.

Canberra Multirotor Racing Club president Timothy Crofts said the sport had been steadily growing in the capital.

"We started off with around five members around 2016, and now in our second year, we've grown to more than 30 and we run two events every month," he said.

"Our youngest member is 13 and our oldest is in their seventies."

As part of a race, pilots guide their drone through a series of obstacles around a course, and are judged on their three fastest laps.

Competitors sit several hundred metres from their drone when they control it, using video monitors to capture their progress around the course.

"You have to be consistent, you can't just fluke your way through one lap," Mr Crofts said.

"We reward people who might happen to crash once or are in a Stephen Bradbury situation."

Four racers from each drone racing club will compete at the national championships in Fremantle in November, which is the third time the event has been held.

Mr Crofts said Australian competitors could often hold their own on the world stage.

"The person who got first place at the last national championships is also the best in the world," he said.

"There's a lot of talent in Australia and we're sending more and more people to the world championships."

While the use of drones recreationally is becoming more popular as technology improves, Mr Crofts said the drones used in a race setting were slightly different to those seen in stores.

"A lot of these drones are a lot smaller, around 25 centimetres in diameter," he said.

"These are all hand-built by the competitors. A lot of these drones might have crappy video systems on board, but you want them to be really fast to dodge all the obstacles."

The organisation's president said a close contest was expected at the qualifying events.

"It all comes down to practice," he said.

"There's a lot of young guys now who have a lot of talent who can take the top spot."