54th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett - International Gas Ballon Race

Up to 21 teams from 12 countries around the world will compete in the 54th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett. Taking off at dusk from a site near Bristol, the team which flies the furthest distance from the start point wins the race.

The inaugural race took place in Paris in 1906. Since then no Briton had won, until, in 2008, David Hempleman-Adams and Jon Mason flew 1,767kms in just over 74 hours, flying from Albuquerque in New Mexico to the shores of Lake Michigan north of Chicago. They won the 52nd Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett and with it the honour of hosting the race in their home nation.

World Records were broken and this excitement built as thousands of enthusiasts watched the 2009 race unfold on-line with a live link from each of the 16 participating balloons. Team GB2 consisting in the two female pilots Janet Folkes and Ann-Ruth Rich broke the World Record for Female Flight Duration, flying for almost 70 hours. Three European teams landed in Algeria, thus entering the record books for achieving the first cross continental flights between Europe and Africa with gas balloons.

As so the excitement will continue as we prepare for the race to launch from Great Britain in September 2010.

Event Web site www.gordonbennett2010.com A real great, complete and full of information website! Thanks to the organization and the webmaster!

Teams In the website you can browse the list of teams and see pictures and information for each of them.

David Hempleman-Adams and Simon Carey with crew (credit Jo Slade)

Competition area Countries in white (unshaded) are outside the competition area; coloured countries are inside the area.

Officials Click here to see the list of the race officials and the organisation team.

Show your support for GB2010 * By email: info@gordonbennett2010.com * Join the GB2010 facebook group * Follow the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GB_2010