The focus of international attention will turn from the Olympics to Bangor in a couple of weeks for the scheduled Aug. 16 start of a trans-Atlantic balloon race.

Selected as the launching site last November, Bangor will be the host city to five two-man racing teams, their technical crews and all the members of the national and international press expected to cover the event.

Only five manned balloons have completed the roughly 2,500-mile voyage across the North Atlantic in the past. The Chrysler Transatlantic Challenge 1992, sponsored by the Chrysler Corp., will mark the first time balloonists have attempted to race across the ocean.

Another unique aspect of the race is that all the balloons and equipment will be exactly the same, making teamwork and quick decision making the keys to winning.

Two-man teams representing Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the United States will lift off from the infield of Bass Park sometime on or after Aug. 16. Race officials are looking to start the race when weather conditions are good during a six-week window extending to late September.

Organizers estimate it will take the racers three to five days to get across the Atlantic. The first balloon to cross a hard-surfaced road in Europe will win the grand prize of $18,000.