This Program Is Dedicated To The Memory Of Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis

The America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race was founded by the Balloon Fiesta in 1995 due to the vision and efforts of Mark Sullivan, former Balloon Fiesta President and recipient of the Montgolfier Diplome (one of ballooning's highest honors), who saw the need for America to be identified with the world's most prestigious ballooning sport.

The America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race is modeled after the Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett, but it differs from the older event in allowing balloons from all countries, without limits on the number of entries from each. The team that travels the longest distance wins. 1995 was the first year of the America’s Challenge, and has been held in Albuquerque every year since.

The launches began with an emotional ceremony honoring friends and fellow competitors Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis, who disappeared nine days before during a similar race, the Coupe Gordon Bennett, and were never found. Richard had been scheduled to compete in the America’s Challenge with former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.

The America’s Challenge competitors afforded Richard and Carol the ceremonial first position in the competition order. As per tradition, the US National Anthem was played and at the end of the anthem, competitors, officials, and spectators released white balloons carrying aloft good wishes and prayers for Richard and Carol. On the launch platform, Richard’s brothers Benny and Louis and Carol’s husband John, daughter Heather, and grandson Ryan released the first two balloons. In the background glowed two splashes of color – Richard Abruzzo’s hot air balloon “Peak Express” and Carol Rymer Davis’ hot air balloon “Raggedy Ann.”

A few minutes later , the first of the competitors, the team of Phil Bryant and Phil MacNutt, were walked to the launch platform and lifted off, followed in rapid sequence by the other five balloons. All were aloft by 12:45 AM MDT (0645Z). As they gained altitude they began to head southeast towards Tijeras Canyon at the southern end of the Sandia Mountains .

The object of the race is to fly the greatest distance from Albuquerque. Several days later, the final balloon aloft in the America’s Challenge distance race for gas balloons landed safely on the U.S./Canadian border. Albuquerque’s Barbara Fricke and Peter Cuneo are the winners of the race, having flown 1,350 miles in approximately 57 hours and 30 minutes. The team landed on the east shore of the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario Canada. Gas balloon landings in urban areas are very unusual, as the balloons usually land in rural and even remote areas.

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