66th Gordon Bennett Cup Distance Competition Update #4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: media@balloonfiesta.com

Albuquerque, NM – The 66^th Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett, sponsored by BayoTech continues. The October 8, 2023, 9pm update from the Gordon Bennett Command Center, indicates there are currently 13 balloons in flight, three balloons have landed and one team did not start. The team representing Great Britain Team 1 is currently leading the distance competition as the sixteen gas balloons fly over the Texas Panhandle. The prestigious long-distance gas balloon race launched from Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday evening, October 7^th as a part of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. 

Three teams landed before dark: Switzerland Team 1, German Team 3, and Lithuania Team 1. Switzerland Team 1 flew a distance of 182.27 nautical miles, landing east of Tucumcari. Balthazar Wicki, one of the Swiss team pilots, remarked how the mountainous terrain near Santa Fe was difficult to navigate in the dark on Saturday evening. Lithuania Team 1 landed Southeast of Channing, TX, flying 245.91 nautical miles. Germany Team 3 flew a distance of 307.08 nautical miles.  All three teams are making their way back to Albuquerque with their respective chase crews. 

Officials suggest that the team furthest North and with enough speed will have an advantage over other teams. Weather forecasts indicate continued calm wind conditions across the flight path, making this a very tactical race. 

Team Updates (9pm 10/8/23 MDT)

Team #	Position	Pilot	Co-Pilot	Country	Distance (km)	Distance (miles)	Landed?
USA-1	1	Forden, Noah	Cowlishaw, Brenda	USA	547.76	340.36
GBR-1	2	Scholes, Deborah Day	Rose, John	Great Britain	541.47	336.45
GER-1	3	Eimers, Wilhelm	Eimers, Benjamin	Germany	540.32	335.74
GER-2	4	Munz, Benedict	Schlegel, Matthias	Germany	534.14	331.90
POL-2	5	Bogdański, Jacek	Mościcki, Przemyslaw	Poland	454.54	282.44
ESP-1	6	González, Anulfo	Aguirre, Angel	Spain	517.74	321.71
FRA-2	7	Decellières, Eric	Havret, Benoît	France	508.47	315.95
AUT-1	8	Stürzlinger, Gerald	Spät, Wolfgang	Austria	494.00	306.96
POL-1	9	Zapart, Krzysztof	Halas, Pjtor	Poland	489.41	304.11
GER-3	10	Michels, Max	Michels, Andreas	Germany	494.20	307.08	Landed
USA-3	11	Sullivan, Mark	White, Cheri	USA	475.5	295.46
FRA-1	12	Pelard, Benoît	Péterlé, Benoît	France	442.94	275.23
USA-2	13	Fricke, Barbara	Cuneo, Peter	USA	432.78	268.92
LTU-1	14	Komža, Robertas	Mikelevičius, Romanas	Lithuania	395.76	245.91	Landed
AUT-2	15	Wagner, Christian	Liller, Stefanie	Austria	324.86	278.68
SUI-1	16	Wicki, Balthasar	Erni, René	Switzerland	293.33	182.27	Landed
FRA-3	n/a	Moine, Hervé	Blanchard, Christophe	France	n/a		Did not start

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 5:00am 10/09/2023 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.