The Race Begins In Less Than 100 Days

The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett in Fribourg/Switzerland, the FAI World Long Distance Gas Balloon Championship, will take off from the airfield in Gruyères in under 100 days. This international competition brings together 22 teams from 13 different countries for a race which promises to be most exciting. After the balloons take to the skies, spectators will have the opportunity to discover air sports during the whole weekend, supported by the Swiss Aeroclub AéCS, thanks to a large-scale public festival proposing a wide range of free events.

The 61st edition of the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett 2017 in Fribourg/Switzerland will take off on 8 September 2017 from the airfield in Gruyères, at the base of the Castle. It will bring together 22 teams from 13 countries that will try to fly the longest distance, measured in a straight line from the launch site to the landing site, with no time limit. Organizing the world’s oldest and most prestigious gas balloon race in Fribourg will promote not only the canton but the whole of Switzerland beyond its national frontiers.

The first place slot already promises to be hotly contested. Highly experienced pilots have signed up, like the current two-time world champion, the SUI-1 team of Kurt Frieden and Pascal Witprächtiger (Thurgovia), that will race against the local SUI-2 Fribourg Freiburg Challenge team of Nicolas Tièche and Laurent Sciboz (Fribourg), World Cup runners-up in 2016. Walter Gschwendtner and Max Krebs (Zurich), who have respectively participated in seven and sixteen Gordon Bennett World Cups, make up the SUI-3 team, the third crew which will race for Switzerland.

Other renowned teams will also take part in the competition, like Matthias Zenge and Benni Eimers from Germany. For the first time, Benni Eimers will succeed his father, Willy, nicknamed “Record Man”, who participated in the Gordon Bennett World Cup 26 times and won the race four times. French teams are also serious contenders, especially the FRA-1 team of Vincent Leÿs, who won the race eight times. The Spanish team which came in 3rd in 2016 and the American team which came in 4th in 2016 should also be mentioned.

The balloons will take off on Friday, 8 September at the end of the day. For the first time in years, the race will take off during daylight hours allowing both young and old to witness this truly unforgettable moment. After the ceremony, the celebration continues with a sound and light show in three parts which includes “Balade dans le ciel de l’Armailli” by Bernard Maciel, a hot air balloon illumination set against a musical arrangement from Frédéric Rody and a fireworks display. The party continues with a concert from the local group Tyago.

Throughout the weekend, visitors can take part in the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett 2017 from the site of the festival through regular updates from the race’s organizers and guests such as Brian Jones. Thanks to GPS installed aboard the balloons, it will also be possible to follow the teams’ trajectories in real time (live tracking) across Europe from the airfield in Gruyères, on social media and the website.

Beginning on Friday morning, the airfield in Gruyères will be the stage of a large-scale public festival celebrating air sports. The first day will focus on aeronautics careers, the second on powered aircraft (airplanes and helicopters), and Sunday will focus on hang gliding (gliders and paragliding). In addition, the Swiss Parachuting Championship will take place at the same time on the site from Thursday, 7 September to Sunday, 10 September. Access to the site and entry to all the events open to the general public are free. To promote soft mobility, buses will shuttle between the Bulle train station and the Gruyères airfield every half hour.

Musical and culinary events add the finishing touch to the program. Culinary partner of the Gordon Bennett Fribourg 2017, the Bénichon du Pays de Fribourg proposes a number of tastings as well as a crafts and local food market on Saturday and Sunday. A variety of local music groups, representing close to 300 people, will provide entertainment during the festivities.

(Images provided with FAI news release)

FMI: www.fai.org