66th Gordon Bennett Cup Distance Competition Update #5

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 am from the Gordon Bennett Command Center, there are currently 13 balloons in flight. Team USA-1 took the lead last night as the balloons fly South of Oklahoma City. Team POL-1 is close on their heels, and Teams FRA-1 and GER-1 are close behind as well. Competitors of this prestigious long-distance gas balloon race launched on Saturday evening, October 7^th from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  

Last night there were notable shifts in positioning for most teams. They all are trying to position themselves to best follow the East-West weather track that could carry them to Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi. The teams approach another decision point at sunrise, to determine whether they should land or stay aloft throughout the day. 

Team Updates (5am 10/09/23 MDT)

Team #	Position	Country	Distance (km)	Distance (miles)	Landed?
USA-1	1	USA	759.68	472.04
POL-2	2	Poland	754.68	468.94
FRA-1	3	France	730.08	453.65
GER-1	4	Germany	717.52	445.85
ESP-1	5	Spain	704.87	437.99
GBR-1	6	Great Britain	690.74	429.21
AUT-1	7	Austria	668.09	415.13
USA-3	8	USA	666.06	413.87
FRA-2	9	France	664.35	412.81
USA-2	13	USA	660.27	410.27
GER-2	8	Germany	573.86	356.58
POL-1	9	Poland	573.86	356.58
AUT-2	15	Austria	519.1	278.68
GER-3	10	Germany	494.20	307.08	Landed
LTU-1	14	Lithuania	395.76	245.91	Landed
SUI-1	16	Switzerland	293.33	182.27	Landed
FRA-3	n/a	France	n/a	n/a	No 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 9:00am 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.