2023 Gordon Bennet Cup Distance Balloon Race Update #3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: media@balloonfiesta.com

Albuquerque, NM – The 66^th Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett, sponsored by BayoTech, is underway. As of the latest update at 5:00 pm from the Gordon Bennett Command Center, all sixteen balloons that launched are still in flight as dusk approaches. The German GER-1 team is currently in the lead as the balloons pass over the Panhandle of Texas. Out of the top three teams, GER-1 is positioned farther South. 

Sunset is a big decision point for our teams. They will be assessing their ballasts—weights of sand and water—to determine whether they will continue through the night or start looking for a place to land. Competitors of this prestigious long-distance gas balloon race launched on Saturday evening, October 7^th from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. 

We will continue to provide updates on the progress of all teams. 

Team Updates (5pm 10/8/23 MDT)

Team #	Position	Pilot	Co-Pilot	Country	Distance (km)	Distance (miles)
AUT-1	13	Stürzlinger, Gerald	Spät, Wolfgang	Austria	449.11	279.06
AUT-2	10	Wagner, Christian	Liller, Stefanie	Austria	448.49	278.68
ESP-1	2	González, Anulfo	Aguirre, Angel	Spain	492.25	305.87
FRA-1	13	Pelard, Benoît	Péterlé, Benoît	France	401.72	249.62
FRA-2	9	Decellières, Eric	Havret, Benoît	France	454.82	282.61
FRA-3	n/a	Moine, Hervé	Blanchard, Christophe	France	n/a	#VALUE!
GBR-1	3	Scholes, Deborah Day	Rose, John	Great Britain	490.04	304.50
GER-1	1	Eimers, Wilhelm	Eimers, Benjamin	Germany	497.72	309.27
GER-2	6	Munz, Benedict	Schlegel, Matthias	Germany	482.15	299.59
GER-3	16	Michels, Max	Michels, Andreas	Germany	489.07	303.89
LTU-1	12	Komža, Robertas	Mikelevičius, Romanas	Lithuania	409.39	254.38
POL-1	7	Zapart, Krzysztof	Halas, Pjtor	Poland	473	293.91
POL-2	8	Bogdański, Jacek	Mościcki, Przemyslaw	Poland	454.54	282.44
SUI-1	16	Wicki, Balthasar	Erni, René	Switzerland	294.02	182.70
USA-1	5	Forden, Noah	Cowlishaw, Brenda	USA	485.26	301.53
USA-2	14	Fricke, Barbara	Cuneo, Peter	USA	380.7	236.56
USA-3	11	Sullivan, Mark	White, Cheri	USA	410.1	254.82

For the most up-to-date information and to track the balloons in real-time, please visit the official Gordon Bennett Cup website at https://balloonfiesta.com/Gordon-Bennett-2023 and our dedicated tracking site at https://live.gordonbennett.aero. Don’t forget to tune in to Gordon Bennett TV for exclusive coverage and insights. 

The next update will be provided at 9:00pm MDT.

About the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta & Gordon Bennett Cup

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, powered by ExxonMobil, is the host for the 66^th Gordon Bennett Cup.  The Balloon Fiesta is a festival of hot air balloons that takes place in October in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. For details on events, schedule, entertainment and photographs visit our website www.balloonfiesta.com and follow us on Twitter @BalloonFiesta and Facebook.