Munich.
With just two weeks to the start of the fifth BMW Motorrad
International GS Trophy, the Southeast Asia 2016 edition, this GS
Trophy is shaping up to be the biggest yet. Some 57 riders in 19
teams (three riders per team) representing 25 nations from around
the world – together with 21 embedded journalists – will compete in
a week of adventure riding, special tests and teamwork challenges.
Starting February 28, it’s a week that will also be about
experiencing life in the rain forests of the hilly ‘Golden Triangle’
region in Thailand´s Chiang Mai province, connecting with the
natural world and celebrating the international brotherhood of
adventure motorcycling that’s so closely associated to the BMW R
1200 GS.
Technical in Thailand.
This is the first time the GS Trophy has visited the Asian
continent and so the event will engage an altogether different kind
of terrain to that which has faced previous competitors. Past
editions have typically featured long trails through wilderness or
mountainous regions. This time, says chief organiser and route
designer Tomm Wolf, the competitors can expect a slower pace but far
more technical challenges.
“The tracks we will ride will be dry and probably quite dusty
and much narrower than those we encountered in Canada and South
America. There will be more single track, up-and-down, enduro-type
trails, rather than the wide forest roads of the previous GS Trophy.
The speeds will definitely be lower and the trails will be more
challenging to ride, but extremely nice.”
The GS Trophy competitors will as a consequence be travelling a
shorter distance over the week, but as any off-road rider will know,
when speeds are low and the riding technical, long days in the
saddle are sure to follow. Along the way the competitors will take
part in a series of challenges that are consistent with the GS
lifestyle and designed to exercise their riding and navigation
skills, their knowledge of, and ability to live in, the natural
world – and their ability to come together as a team.
“With the technicality in the riding, the competitors will
understand more than ever that this is not a race,” explains Wolf.
“But given the climate – we can expect heat and humidity – and the
advanced riding and sporting level of the competitors, we can be
sure it will remain a tough competition.”
The Southeast Asia 2016 event follows previous editions that
took place in Tunisia in 2008, Southern Africa in 2010, South
America in 2012 and Canada in 2014.
Who are the riders?
“The GS Trophy is a truly international event for amateurs from
around the world, very much following the principle of the
Olympics,” explains
BMW Motorrad’s organiser Mathias Horn.
“The riders are everyday enthusiasts who through regional qualifiers
have won their place in what will be an experience so rich and so
exciting. With every GS Trophy the event evolves. This time we will
find ourselves in the Asian continent and so the experience and the
riding will be all-new. And we have three new teams as well, from
China, from Southeast Asia and an International Female Team.
“We are especially excited to have a female team along for this
edition. Women have always been a part of the GS Trophy, holding
leading positions within the organisation – and a few of these have
in the past ridden along with the competitors – but this is the
first time we’ll have female competitors.”
The bikes.
The competitors will ride a fleet of identical
specially-prepared 2016
BMW R 1200 GS motorcycles. The number
of GSs will be a staggering 114 in total – 100 of which will be R
1200 GS versions for the competitors, journalists, organisers and
special guests, with 14 R 1200 GS Adventures for the marshals.
Preparing the machines for a competition environment has
required only a small number of modifications. All the GS bikes are
equipped with an aluminium enduro engine guard, steel crash bars,
valve cover guards, headlight guard, wider endure footrests,
adjustable footbrake lever and a safety screw for the oil filler
neck. All bikes will run on Metzeler Karoo 2 tyres.
“We’ve concentrated on equipping the bikes with what’s necessary
to cope with the conditions in the GS Trophy,” says Markus Meissner
from BMW Motorrad Aftersales. “Our bikes are already very well
prepared as standard, and within the product range of Original BMW
Motorrad Accessories we offer everything which is necessary to ride
and master the GS Trophy.”
Follow the event.
The GS Trophy starts and finishes near Chiang Mai, running from
February 28 to March 5. BMW Motorrad will ensure the public have the
best opportunities to follow the event.
Media outlets will be able to access daily reports and images
through the
BMW Group Press Club: https://www.press.bmwgroup.com
The public will be able to follow the GS Trophy through
continuous updates on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Instagram
(#gstrophy) as well as on the website www.gstrophy.com.
The BMW Group
With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the
world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles
and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global
company, the BMW Group operates 30 production and assembly facilities
in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2015, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.247 million cars and
nearly 137,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the
financial year 2014 was approximately € 8.71 billion on revenues
amounting to € 80.40 billion. As of 31 December 2014, the BMW Group
had a workforce of 116,324 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
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