59th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett 2015

Wonderful footage from before, during and after the launch of the 59th edition of the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett in Pau, France.
The famous international FAI World Long Distance Gas Balloon Championship was launched on Friday night, 28 August 2015 from Pau, France. In total 17 gas-balloon teams from eight nations participated.
The Swiss Team SUI 01 Kurt Frieden and Pascal Witprächtiger won the 59th edition by landing near Jaczno, Poland, after 68h 20min and 2080.80 km from the take-off point in Pau at about 8:30am on 1 September 2015. Last year’s winners Team GER 01 Wilhelm Eimers and Matthias Zenge reached the second place with 2071.61 km, and Team SUI 02 Nicolas Tièche and Laurent Sciboz from Switzerland third with 2067.76 km.
The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett is the most prestigious aviation event in the world. The objective of this gas balloon race is simple: to fly the furthest distance from the start (this year from Pau, France) using the open airspace available.