FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: media@balloonfiesta.com
Albuquerque, NM – The 66th Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett, sponsored by BayoTech, is in its third day of competition. As of 7:00am MDT, the Gordon Bennett Command Center reports 8 gas balloons are still in flight. France Team 1 and USA Team One are in the leaders group and flying south of Birmingham Alabama. France Team 1 is flying at an altitude of 10,606.96 feet.
Two teams, USA Team 3 and Spain Team 1 landed this morning. USA Team 3 landed after crossing the Mississippi River, landing near Greenville, Mississippi. Spain Team 1 landed this morning landed Northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Race organizers released two statements today addressing the Poland Team 1 accident near Crandall, Texas Tuesday. A statement from the Gordon Bennett Race Director Tomas Hora and Media Director Tom Garrity are available by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgc6lr0ngYg
Competitors of this prestigious long-distance gas balloon race launched on Saturday evening, October 7th from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Team Updates (6:30am MDT 10/09/2023)
| Team # | Position | Country | Distance (km) | Distance (miles) | Landed? |
| FRA-1 | 1 | France | 1827.03 | 1135.26 | |
| USA-1 | 2 | USA | 1809.9 | 1124.62 | |
| ESP-1 | 3 | Spain | 1727.19 | 1073.23 | |
| USA-2 | 4 | USA | 1610.06 | 1000.44 | |
| GER-1 | 5 | Germany | 1544.07 | 959.44 | |
| FRA-2 | 6 | France | 1469.47 | 913.09 | |
| USA-3 | 7 | USA | 1469.47 | 913.09 | |
| GER-2 | 8 | Germany | 890.47 | 553.31 | |
| AUT-2 | 9 | Austria | 977.02 | 607.09 | |
| AUT-1 | 10 | Austria | 850.95 | 278.68 | |
| GBR-1 | 11 | United Kingdom | 1091.89 | 678.47 | Landed |
| POL-1 | 12 | Poland | 978.02 | 607.71 | Finished |
| POL-2 | 13 | Poland | 872.48 | 542.13 | Landed |
| 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 9:00am 10/10/2023 MDT.
About the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta & Gordon Bennett Cup
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, powered by ExxonMobil, is the host for the 66th 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.
Media Contact
Name: Tom Garrity
Phone: 505.898.8689
Email: media@balloonfiesta.com
