The BMW GS Trophy 2016

Team Motorcycle
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For those of you old enough to remember, the BMW International GS Trophy is like the Camel Trophy held between 1980 and the year 2000 (and Camel doesn’t mean the animal but in this case the cigarette manufacturer). In other words, it’s a week long suffering in a hostile environment while trying to ride a BMW GS motorcycle in almost impossible conditions to victory. Blood, sweat and tears!

 
1600 harsh kilometers (995 miles) during 7 days of intense competition. The BMW GS Trophy is a team sport, in other words, 3 participants per country, and they try to win the trophy for their country. There are 19 teams, most of them country teams, but also an all-female team and several country groupings (like South East Asia, Latin America etc).

 
Each day sees the teams compete in challenges, like slow maneuvering, pushing a motorcycle up a broken bride, riding through deep water, mud, etc. Usually the challenges are meant for the whole team, like requiring them to push the heavy BMW 1200GS up a hill. In other words, very physical.
Part of the points allocated per team do not entirely depend on their skills; there is also internet voting involved, so the teams that are the most web social get points as well. This year, the GS Trophy was won by Team South Africa, while Team UK and Team Germany tied for second place.
Team USA (Charles Lucht (49), Dennis Godwin (56) and Thomas Asher (47)) ended in 8th, while the all female team ended last (but not least) – 19th. Here is the total scoreboard at the end of day 7:
1. South Africa - 299
2. Germany - 268
3. UK - 268
4. CEEU - 254
5. Latin America - 244
6. Brazil - 242
7. China - 234
8. USA - 229
9. France - 208
10. Italy - 200
11. Argentina - 188
12. Mexico - 181
13. Russia - 180
14. Canada - 176
15. South Korea - 146
16. Japan - 138
17. South East Asia - 138
18. Alps - 117
19. International Female Team- 116
Teams are selected in qualifiers held nationally. Usually many bikers register, and in the national try-outs, the 3 team participants are selected based on their skills.
Below is an introduction video of the BMW GS Trophy. Do you think you have what it takes?

Click here to read more about it at he BMW GS Trophy site.