The first ever GS Trophy is now complete, and the event has been deemed a huge success. After several days of challenging enduro riding and physical tests, team USA took the honour of becoming the first GS Trophy champions. Although there had to be a winner, every team should feel proud of their achievements and the fact that they made history by competing in the inaugural event.
After six months of preparation, the GS Trophy finally got under way on 15 October when teams from Germany, Italy, Spain, USA and Japan departed Milan for Genoa, where they boarded a ferry to Tunisia – the location for the landmark event. Each competitor had been selected a few months before after impressing at regional trials. All the participants were amateur riders, with varying levels of ability, who shared the same desire – to go down in the history of the GS Trophy as pioneers of the competition. Travelling south through Italy on Touratech-prepared BMW F 800 GS motorcycles, the teams had little understanding of what they would face in Africa. Although they had been given a briefing in Milan, they didn’t anticipate the experience that lay in store – an action-packed eight days in the desert of Tunisia, during which their enduro riding and problem-solving abilities would be put to the ultimate test.
After arriving in Tunisia, the first stop for the teams was the ancient holy city of Kairouan, where they stayed overnight before heading to Ksar Ghilane, an oasis on the edge of the Sahara desert. Up until this point the teams’ introduction to the GS Trophy had been gentle, but the first challenge was imminent. An orienteering test pushed competitors to the limit. In unfamiliar surroundings and challenging terrain the teams travelled by foot from point to point, in order to secure the coveted first victory of the event. The Spanish team emerged victorious from the first challenge, but couldn’t be complacent as two more activities were planned for the next day.
The second challenge involved a race across the Biben Dunes, with the German team taking their first win of the GS Trophy after a dominating display. A relay race on the mountainous sand dunes on the approach to Tembain followed – a challenge that required exceptional team work. The team from the USA proved their credentials with their first of four victories over the course of the event.
After a much needed rest, the teams awoke to challenge four, perhaps their toughest test yet – an uphill motorcycle push in humid conditions. Team USA were again the victors, but were made to work hard by the other competitors. Two more victories followed for the American team in the remaining two challenges of the event – a group relay race around the dunes at Monument Valley and a five-flag team race in the dunes of La Riguette.
After displaying their skill throughout the competition, the team from the USA were crowned the inaugural champions of the GS Trophy. However, according to the Head of Marketing for BMW Motorrad in Germany, Florian Baumeister, victory was secondary to the experience of competing in the GS Trophy. “The core spirit of the GS Trophy was that everybody, despite their nationality, trusted one another and were unified to deal with the challenges of the desert,” he says. “The bringing together of many different cultures and the building of friendships must be seen as the most important and interesting aspect of this event.”
When Florian and the rest of the team responsible for planning the event started the process six months ago, they had a picture in their minds of how the experience would pan out. And now the GS Trophy is over, does Florian feel that their goals have been achieved? “Yes, definitely,” he answers. “When we began this project we wanted to hold a great team experience on BMW motorcycles and an adventure that nobody can buy. Now the event is complete, we are delighted. Strangers from five countries joined a team, made friends and stuck together to face all the challenges the desert could throw at them. Nobody involved will ever forget this experience. People dream of taking part in life-changing experiences and some, thanks to the GS Trophy, have experienced them.”
The life-changing experiences included sleeping under the stars on a perfectly clear desert night, enjoying an oasis spa and riding the BMW F 800 GS through some of the world’s most challenging terrain, offering perhaps one of the biggest tests in motorcycling. “Tunisia is wonderful and was the perfect place to hold the GS Trophy,” comments Volker Geisler, Event Manager for BMW Motorrad in Germany and member of the organisation team in Tunisia. “It has every kind of landscape that is possible in Africa – dunes, desert, salt-lake flats, beach and mountains. It is the ideal country for riding a motorcycle off-road.”
Because of the nature of the terrain, the planning team had to choose a motorcycle that would be able to withstand even the harshest environments, which is why the F 800 GS was selected. “The motorcycles coped extremely well with the desert,” says Florian. “We only had a few minor technical problems throughout the whole trip, so thanks must go to Touratech for its help in preparing the bikes for the unique environment in Tunisia. Thanks also to BOSCH and Metzeler for their support.”
Following the success of the first GS Trophy experience, plans are already being put in place for the second event in 2009 when more teams are expected to compete. Although the action might not take place in Tunisia next year, the BMW Motorrad team are already hunting for the next host country. “Our goal is to find another perfect country for the GS Trophy in 2009 and to once again create a great team adventure,” concludes Florian. “We hope the event will continue to grow, and already more countries are pledging their support for the idea.”
GS Trophy 2008 – Overall results:
1st: USA 2,700 points
=2nd: Germany and Spain 1,900 points
3rd: Italy 1,400 points
4th: Japan 1,000 points
Be sure to also tune into Brad's home page for details from the man himself!
For the very latest updates from BMW Motorrad, please visit our Press Release section (inside the "Community" button from any area of our website).
For "unofficial" news from the BMW MOTORRAD International GS Trophy Team (and their families) in Tunisia, North Africa click here.
For a play-by-play timeline of each day (care of Jimmy Lewis, Dirt Rider Magazine- one of the three embedded journalists following the US Team) click here.
See Brad in action (below) at the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy training center- an effort that won him United States Team Captain!
After arriving in Tunisia, the first stop for the teams was the ancient holy city of Kairouan, where they stayed overnight before heading to Ksar Ghilane, an oasis on the edge of the Sahara desert. Up until this point the teams’ introduction to the GS Trophy had been gentle, but the first challenge was imminent. An orienteering test pushed competitors to the limit. In unfamiliar surroundings and challenging terrain the teams travelled by foot from point to point, in order to secure the coveted first victory of the event. The Spanish team emerged victorious from the first challenge, but couldn’t be complacent as two more activities were planned for the next day.
The second challenge involved a race across the Biben Dunes, with the German team taking their first win of the GS Trophy after a dominating display. A relay race on the mountainous sand dunes on the approach to Tembain followed – a challenge that required exceptional team work. The team from the USA proved their credentials with their first of four victories over the course of the event.
After displaying their skill throughout the competition, the team from the USA were crowned the inaugural champions of the GS Trophy. However, according to the Head of Marketing for BMW Motorrad in Germany, Florian Baumeister, victory was secondary to the experience of competing in the GS Trophy. “The core spirit of the GS Trophy was that everybody, despite their nationality, trusted one another and were unified to deal with the challenges of the desert,” he says. “The bringing together of many different cultures and the building of friendships must be seen as the most important and interesting aspect of this event.”
GS Trophy 2008 – Overall results:
1st: USA 2,700 points
=2nd: Germany and Spain 1,900 points
3rd: Italy 1,400 points
4th: Japan 1,000 points
