CELEBRATING 50 YEARS Gas Committee/America’s Challenge Offi cials Chair, AIBF Gas Balloon Committee ......................Mark Sullivan Command Center Director ....................................Ruth Lind AIBF Director of Operations ...................................Sam Parks Command Center Staff ..........................................Ben Anello America’s Challenge Event Director .....................Sam Parks ..........................................Jon Ashworth Assistant Director ..................................................John Petrehn ..........................................Jeff Davis Launch Master .......................................................Tomas Hora ..........................................Guy Feltman Safety Offi cers/Ground Testing ..............................Wally Book ..........................................Richard Iverson ..............................Chuck Raskob ..........................................Chris LaFleur Safety Offi cers .......................................................Roger Clark ..........................................Carolyn Lilley .......................................................Mike Garcia ..........................................Cliff Tvede Meteorologists ......................................................Randy Lefevre Scoring Offi cer ......................................................Jim Byrd ......................................................Brad Temeyer Jury President .......................................................Andy Baird Tracking Equipment ...............................................Marc Andre Jury Members .......................................................Ken Draughn ...............................................Harris Goodwin .......................................................Tarp Head Media Liaison ........................................................Kim Vesely Field Preparation ...................................................Damian Duran-Arias Hospitality .............................................................Dodie Bernal America’s Challenge Winners Y YEEAAR R PPIILLOOT T CCOO--PPIILLOOT T CCOOUUNNTTRRYY DIDISSTTAANCNCEE DIDISSTTAANCNCEE D DUURRAATTIIOONN KM MILES HOURS America’s 1995 Richard Abruzzo David Melton USA 2241.9 1393 60.2 Challenge 1996 David Levin Alan Levin USA 706.6 439.1 38.1 1997 Richard Abruzzo Jacob Traub USA 1465.3 910.5 45.7 Records 1998 Troy Bradley Tami Stevenson-Bradley USA 2234.9 1388.8 58.8 1999 Race not held 2000 David Levin Alan Levin USA 3215.5 1998.1 64.1 DISTANCE: 2001 Peter Cuneo Barbara Fricke USA 2095.6 1302.2 58.4 Nicolas Tièche and Laurent Sciboz, 2002 Richard Abruzzo Gary Johnson USA 2797.08 1738.11 43.13 Switzerland, 3670.76 km /2275.87 miles (2017) 2003 Richard Abruzzo Carol Rymer Davis USA 1787.72 1110.89 63.23 2004 Richard Abruzzo Gary Johnson USA 984.23 611.6 35.97 DURATION: 2005 Janet Folkes Bill Arras UK / USA 2407.28 1495.81 46.14 David Hempelman-Adams and Jonathan 2006 Andy Cayton Kevin Knapp USA 2380.99 1479.48 60.45 Mason, UK, 71 hours, 31 minutes (2011) 2007 Andy Cayton Stuart Enloe USA 1698.21 1052.89 61.5 2008 Mark Sullivan Cheri White USA 1419.76 880.25 68.58 MULTIPLE WINNERS: 2009 Race cancelled due to high winds Richard Abruzzo: fi ve wins: 1995 with David 2010 Barbara Fricke Peter Cuneo USA 2175.86 1349.03 58.16 Melton, 1997 with Jacob Traub, 2002 and 2004 with Gary Johnson, 2003 with Carol 2011 David Hempleman-Adams Jonathan Mason UK 1538.66 953.97 71.51 Rymer Davis 2012 Mark Sullivan Cheri White USA 2623.33 1626.46 62.3 Peter Cuneo and Barbara Fricke: four wins 2013 Peter Cuneo Barbara Fricke USA 2299.79 1425.87 60.4 (2001, 2010, 2013, 2016) 2014 Anulfo González Angel Aguirre Spain 1914.3 1186.87 53.33 Andy Cayton: three wins: (2006, 2007, 2019) 2015 Race cancelled due to weather conditions David Levin and Alan Levin: two wins (1996 2016 Peter Cuneo Barbara Fricke USA 1394.96 864.88 54.65 and 2000) 2017 Nicolas Tièche Laurent Sciboz Switzerland 3670.76 2275.87 59.32 2018 No event Mark Sullivan and Cheri White: two wins 2019 Andy Cayton Krzysztof Zapart USA/Poland 2598.61 1611.14 58.20 (2008 and 2012) 2020 Race not held due to the pandemic 2021 Noah Forden Bert Padelt USA 573.25 356.20 36.33 ® 182 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta