Gordon Bennett Cup 2017 - The most prestigious gas balloon race in the world
Gordon Bennett Cup 2017 - The most prestigious gas balloon race in the world
The history of the Gordon Bennett Aeronautical Cup Is full of incredible flights, legendary stories and prestigious records. The rules are easy. The team with the furthest distance wins. The championship was created in 1906 by the adventurer James Gordon Bennett Jr, an American press baron and sponsor of motor racing and air sports. The Gordon Bennett Cup is one of the most prestigious event in the world of ballooning. This year the 61th edition was held in Fribourg (SUI).
This year 21 gas balloons from 13 nations competed: LEŸS and HOUVER travelled 1,834.72km to take the win. They were the only team that managed to navigate through a thin corridor of airspace between Kaliningrad and Belarus, which allowed them to fly northeast across Lithuania and Latvia. They landed in Estonia before the Russian border. Some 500km behind them, many pilots had to land in Poland because of airspace around the city of Kaliningrad and the country of Belarus.
Some 500km behind them, many pilots had to land in Poland because of airspace around the city of Kaliningrad and the country of Belarus. Switzerland’s Kurt Frieden and Pascal Wutprächtiger (SUI-1) landed just short of the border with Lithuania to come second, winning silver. They had flown a tactical but slower race, after covering 1,366km. Close behind them in third place, Spain’s Anulfo Gonzales Redondo and Angel Aguirre Rial also landed close to the Lithuanian border. They covered 1,334km.
Leys was particularly delighted with this year’s race because of, “the extraordinary location, the warm welcome and the optimal conditions to prepare our balloon.” When asked about his team's strategy, he said: “We worked hard with our ground crew in France to prepare for the race. We had two options at the time of take-off: fly north, which meant running the risk of being stopped by a storm and landing at night; or try to pass through the narrow [airspace] gate between Kaliningrad and Belarus. We chose the latter option."
He added: “We decided to fly up to 6,000 meters just after Zurich. We knew that this strategy would reduce our autonomy, however we wanted to have enough speed to be at the Kaliningrad-Belarus corridor early enough before the storm. In the end the weather conditions were stable and we were able to fly as planned.”
Results Top 3
1. FRA 1 (Vincent Leys + Christope Houver)
2. SUI 1 (Kurt Frieden+ Pascal Witprächtiger)
3. ESP 1 (Anulfo Gonzalez Redondo + Angel Aguirre Rial)
This year 21 gas balloons from 13 nations competed: LEŸS and HOUVER travelled 1,834.72km to take the win. They were the only team that managed to navigate through a thin corridor of airspace between Kaliningrad and Belarus, which allowed them to fly northeast across Lithuania and Latvia. They landed in Estonia before the Russian border. Some 500km behind them, many pilots had to land in Poland because of airspace around the city of Kaliningrad and the country of Belarus.
Some 500km behind them, many pilots had to land in Poland because of airspace around the city of Kaliningrad and the country of Belarus. Switzerland’s Kurt Frieden and Pascal Wutprächtiger (SUI-1) landed just short of the border with Lithuania to come second, winning silver. They had flown a tactical but slower race, after covering 1,366km. Close behind them in third place, Spain’s Anulfo Gonzales Redondo and Angel Aguirre Rial also landed close to the Lithuanian border. They covered 1,334km.
Leys was particularly delighted with this year’s race because of, “the extraordinary location, the warm welcome and the optimal conditions to prepare our balloon.” When asked about his team's strategy, he said: “We worked hard with our ground crew in France to prepare for the race. We had two options at the time of take-off: fly north, which meant running the risk of being stopped by a storm and landing at night; or try to pass through the narrow [airspace] gate between Kaliningrad and Belarus. We chose the latter option."
He added: “We decided to fly up to 6,000 meters just after Zurich. We knew that this strategy would reduce our autonomy, however we wanted to have enough speed to be at the Kaliningrad-Belarus corridor early enough before the storm. In the end the weather conditions were stable and we were able to fly as planned.”
Results Top 3
1. FRA 1 (Vincent Leys + Christope Houver)
2. SUI 1 (Kurt Frieden+ Pascal Witprächtiger)
3. ESP 1 (Anulfo Gonzalez Redondo + Angel Aguirre Rial)
