66th Gordon Bennett Cup Distance Competition Update #9

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: media@balloonfiesta.com

Albuquerque, NM – The 66^th Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett, sponsored by BayoTech, is in its third day of competition. As of 9:00am MDT, there are seven balloons still in flight. The top two teams, France Team 1 and United States Team 1, are in a terrific duel just 40 km apart. The two leaders just passed south of Birmingham, Alabama, and are headed toward Georgia. The other teams still in flight are USA-2, GER-1, FRA-2, GER-2, and AUT-2.  

The teams made very good speed overnight and were mostly flying at lower altitudes. With solar heating after sunrise, the balloons have increased in altitude, and most are maintaining speeds of between 40-60 km/hr (25-37 mph approximately). 

Competitors of this prestigious long-distance gas balloon race launched on Saturday evening, October 7^th from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. 

Team Updates (8:40am MDT 10/10/2023)

Team #	Position	Country	Distance (km)	Distance (miles)	Landed?
FRA-1	1	France	1941.60	1206.45
USA-1	2	USA	1903.51	1182.79
ESP-1	3	Spain	1727.17	1073.21	Landed
USA-2	4	USA	1673.08	1039.60
GER-1	5	Germany	1638.45	1018.09
FRA-2	6	France	1576.40	979.53
USA-3	7	USA	1461.6	908.20	Landed
GER-2	8	Germany	1392.10	865.01
AUT-2	9	Austria	1277.70	793.93
AUT-1	10	Austria	1165.42	724.16	Landed
GBR-1	11	United Kingdom	1091.89	678.47	Landed
POL-1	12	Poland	978.02	607.71	Landed
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 5:00pm MDT 10/10/2023.

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.