It appears British adventurer David-Hempleman Adams has a new feat to add to his long list of conquests: champion of the world’s oldest air race.
The results are still unofficial, but Hempleman-Adams and co-pilot Jonathan Mason flew the greatest distance in the 52nd Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett, landing between Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Official results will be determined after the race scoring team debriefs all competitors, analyzes the data, and assures all race rules were followed.
Hempleman-Adams and Mason flew nearly 1,200 miles (1,922 km) to snare the win. It would be the first-ever victory for a British team in the Gordon Bennett. And it’s a great birthday present for Hempleman-Adams, who turns 52 this week.
The winning team is afforded the honor of having their country host the Gordon Bennett two years following their victory. It would be the first Gordon Bennett race held in Britain, and presents some interesting prospects for a distance race. Next year’s Gordon Bennett will be held at Geneva, Switzerland.
The Gordon Bennett is only the latest in a series of great adventures for Hempleman-Adams. He has climbed the tallest peaks on all seven continents, traveled to both the North and South Poles, completed the first balloon flight to the North Pole and the first flight across the Northwest Passage. He also completed the first balloon flight across the Atlantic in an open wicker basket in 2003. He holds the absolute world altitude record for Roziere (combination gas and hot air) balloons at 12,557 meters (almost 41,200 feet). Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has recognized Hempleman-Adams’ achievements by appointing him successively as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) and an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of hte British Empire (OBE).
The apparent second-place finishers are the Austrian team of Gearld Stuerzlinger and Helmut Meierhofer, who landed about 1 AM MDT (0700Z) near Rochester, Minnesota. Third place finishers are the US-2 team, Barbara Fricke and Peter Cuneo of Albuquerque. The Germany 1 team, Wilhelm Eimers and Ulrich Seel, are fourth.
In the 13th America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race, the apparent winners are Mark Sullivan of Albuquerque and Cheri White of Austin, TX. They landed last night after flying 882 miles (1,419 km). Troy Bradley and Jonathan Trappe are shown in second, and Phil McNutt and Phil Bryant third.
We will post a table showing the unofficial results for all competitors later today. Official results will be forthcoming once the race officials finalize the data, probably late Saturday.
