With a significant distance to cover, the day started early with
a pre-dawn striking of camp, and a 7am departure in preparation for
the longest day in the saddle so far. Conditions were initially cool
but quickly warmed up as the teams climbed their way to around 1,500
metres, while riding the ridge-lines from one mountain range to
another on a mix of clay, dust and sandy surfaces, that are more
typically associated with closed-course enduro racing.
The first Special came after about 75 kilometres of off-road heaven
through national parkland, overlooking high-altitude tiered rice
fields and tackling numerous switchbacks and narrow tracks along the
way. The Special took place in an area of giant Bamboo trees, and
competitors first had to guess how many bamboo stalks were growing in
a certain area. Then, a team member needed to climb a tree around four
metres high to find a hidden message, the contents of which needed to
be delivered to their Marshal. Finally, the team had to guess how many
metres above sea level they were, without looking at their GPS units!
Another 90 kilometres of the remotest Thailand unfolded before the
competitors’ eyes as they rode from village to village – much to the
amusement of the locals, who spilled out onto their streets as the GS
Trophy circus passed through, with screams of delight from school
children, friendly waves from market traders and enthusiastic welcomes
whenever the riders stopped to take in the special atmosphere.
A wide river crossing and the welcome shade of a native forest helped
keep everyone cool as temperatures climbed well into the 30s en route
to the second Special, where teams enjoyed a speed and braking
exercise. Accelerating hard over 70 metres, then stopping the front
wheel inside a marked box sounds easy, but when the adrenaline and
pressure of competition kicks in, it proved to be harder than it
looked for many. Not so for Team South Africa, who were clinical in
this exercise.
Following this Special was a dream section of tarmac for road riders
– and in this case off-road enthusiasts – as the 90km undulating final
liaison twisted and turned all the way to the next bivouac at Mae
Sariang, offering far-reaching views into the valleys below and
mountains beyond. Refreshments on arrival at the camp in the Salawin
national park never tasted so good.
It was a truly memorable day for all competitors, but perhaps none
more so than the new countries and their teams experiencing the GS
Trophy adventure for the first time. Among these are Team China and
Team Southeast Asia, who gave us their first impressions.
Tommy Lee Boon Jun, Singapore, Team South East Asia
“I think we are enjoying the GS Trophy maybe a little too much! We
were very serious initially but then we made lots and lots of
mistakes, so we decided instead to enjoy the event, because it is a
great-great event. It’s great to meet so many people with the same
interest, and with very similar riding capability, so we ride together
well. It’s hugely enjoyable.”
Liang Wen-Hao, China:
“We are enjoying the GS Trophy very much. I’ve personally owned a GS
since 2006, so this is a wonderful celebration of the past ten years
for me, I knew I must come to this event. With all the riders from
around the world, it’s so special, it’s every GS rider’s dream.
“As a team, we chose to ride here, rather than fly, it was four days
to get here, but that helped unify us before we started. We love
Thailand as well, all the people are smiling, the people in China call
Thailand ‘the smiling country’, it’s a special place.”
As is traditional at the Trophy, all points were totalled after the
evening meal and there was quite a change in the leaderboard – thanks
in part to the results of the teams’ photo competition that was
massively supported worldwide and won by some margin by Latin America.
As things stand after day three, Team South Africa have consolidated
their leading position from yesterday, with Latin America and Germany
17 and 22 points behind respectively.
Catch all the latest updates online at gstrophy.com and also via
YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Results BMW Motorrad Int. GS Trophy 2016 Day Three:
1 South Africa 124 pts.
2 Latin America 107 pts.
3 Germany 102 pts.
4 Brazil 98 pts.
4 CEEU 98 pts.
4 UK 98 pts.
7 China 95 pts.
8 Argentina 89 pts.
9 Mexico 86 pts.
10 France 85 pts.
11 USA 84 pts.
12 Russia 80 pts.
13 Canada 75 pts.
14 Italy 67 pts
15 International Female Team 59 pts.
16 Alps 58 pts.
16 South East Asia 58 pts.
18 Japan 51 pts.
19 South Korea 49 pts.
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