66th Gordon Bennett Cup Distance Competition Update #6

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 9:15 am from the Gordon Bennett Command Center, there are currently 12 balloons in flight. Poland Team 2 (POL-2) just reported landing on the Chickasaw Nation, in South Central Oklahoma.

The POL-2 team was exchanging the lead with France Team 1 (FRA-1), which continues to fly at 11,502 feet above Ardmore, Oklahoma. USA Team 1 (USA-1) is in third place and is Northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. The next group of balloons are approaching Lawton, Oklahoma, including USA Team 3 (USA-3). Poland Team 1 (POL-1) is over Vernon, Texas and Austria Team 2 is over Childress, Texas. Competitors of this prestigious long-distance gas balloon race launched on Saturday evening, October 7^th from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  

The teams are all tracking around the Red River valley, teams appear to be headed into North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Weather forecasts remain calm across the flight path. 

Team Updates (8:45am 10/09/2023 MDT)

Team #	Position	Country	Distance (km)	Distance (miles)	Landed?
FRA-1	1	France	860.13	534.46
POL-2	2	Poland	872.48	542.13	Landed
USA-1	3	USA	842.57	523.55
GBR-1	4	United Kingdom	810.58	503.67
ESP-1	5	Spain	805.48	500.50
USA-2	6	USA	775.82	482.07
GER-1	7	Germany	756.81	470.26
USA-3	8	USA	733.61	455.84
AUT-1	9	Austria	731.04	454.25
FRA-2	10	France	714.09	443.71
GER-2	11	Germany	687.91	427.45
POL-1	12	Poland	671.67	417.36
AUT-2	13	Austria	591.84	278.68
GER-3	14	Germany	494.20	307.08	Landed
LTU-1	15	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 5:00pm 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.