The team riders experienced the full GS Trophy effect today; if day
one had been a gentle introduction, this was a taste of the tough,
demanding reality that will be the week ahead. The overall distance
might have been short, too, at 170km, but the intensity meant every
kilometre was measured if not in blood, then certainly sweat and tears.
Named the ‘Helicopter Trail’, today’s course started gentle, again
seeing the competitors ride through quiet rural villages, passing
along centuries-old paths between paddy fields, before ascending into
the mountains. The high point came at 1,686m, marked by the wreckage
of a crashed ‘Huey’ military helicopter that gave today’s course its
name, close to the border with Myanmar.
The descent from there proved to be the day’s riding highlight, as
the trail grew increasingly steep and technical, narrowing to a single
track, then down to a single Metzeler-tyre’s width through the most
critical sections. Not all competitors made it through unscathed, but
none were injured either. It was intense and increasingly hot work as
the temperatures rose, from 20º at the summit to 32º in the valleys.
The first special test of the day, ‘Mai Daeng’, required the
competitors to beat the clock as they rode down a bridge embankment,
then under the bridge along a rocky riverbed before chasing a zig-zag
path up the far side of the valley. Like a special stage in a rally,
this was about speed and aggression – and a modicum of calculation,
for the teams needed to get all three bikes to the finish without a
crash, as a dropped bike would incur a 30-second penalty. Team South
Africa were victorious in this one.
Special Test Two, called ‘Do You Know?’, was sprung on the riders
randomly during the day as they were challenged on their knowledge of
the BMW R 1200 GS motorcycle, including the capacity, horsepower and weight.
A stunning ride through the valleys, with staggering cliff formations
and jungle-vistas brought the competitors to the overnight bivouac at
Mae Hong Son where the third and final test of the day awaited in
mid-30s heat and high humidity.
Simply titled ‘Dead End, the teams were shown two parallel single
trails about 50 metres long and marked with barrier tape. Starting
from one end, two teams at a time faced off against each other with
the goal to be the fastest to push all their bikes to the ‘dead end’,
touch tyres and then reverse them back again – all against the clock.
With time penalties awarded for touching the barrier tape or going
into the other lane, it was certainly harder than it looked,
especially in the intense afternoon heat. After all 19 teams had run
the gauntlet, it emerged that Team Latin America pushed harder and
faster than all the other challengers.
As all the results were compiled after a fantastic evening meal at
the bivouac at The Dai resort, it is Team South Africa who lead the
Trophy after day two, with Team UK and Team Latin America rounding out
the top three.
John Harris, Team South Africa: ”As a team we came together. We had
one or two snags along the way but we didn’t get upset about it. We
stayed motivated, enjoyed it as a team and thoroughly enjoyed the day
– that made the difference.”
Catch all the latest updates online at
www.gstrophy.com and
also via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Results BMW Motorrad Int. GS Trophy 2016 Day Two
1 South Africa
85 pts.
2
UK 76 pts.
3 Latin America
74 pts.
4
China 69 pts.
5 CEEU
66 pts.
6
France 62 pts.
7
Argentina 61 pts.
8 Germany
60 pts.
9
USA 59 pts.
10
Brazil 57 pts.
11
Italy
55 pts.
12 Canada
52 pts.
13
Mexico 49 pts.
14
Russia 48 pts.
15 International Female Team 29 pts.
15
Alps 29 pts.
15 South Korea
29 pts.
15 South East Asia 29 pts.
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