Leaving the bivouac at Camp Salawin, the teams rode through scenic
parkland trails before dropping down into a valley where, riding
first-and-second gear single-track, they zig-zagged across mountain
streams, tackled rocky sections, traversed footbridges over ditches
and made their way to the first Special of the day – ‘Heavy Rain’ –
after 21 kilometres.
Naturally, this special involved water, and all the participants
enjoyed the challenge of riding 150 metres through the river as a team
and then answering a series of questions, all against the clock. Ten
kilometres later, they faced the second Special – ‘Big Timber’ – which
naturally involved logs, motorcycles and lifting! With the engine off,
the team had to haul one of their BMW bikes over a huge tree and then
park it on its side-stand. Strong muscles helped, but technique was
just as important and this was a defining moment for the ladies’ team,
who showed that ‘practice makes perfect’ by completing this exercise
in good time and good shape. The searing midday heat saw the Japanese
team cool off – in full rider gear – by jumping into the nearby creek!
The picturesque mountainous route then saw the competitors skirt the
border between Thailand and Myanmar, just a stone’s throw across a
deep, fast-flowing river. The riverbanks and hillside villages, with
houses on stilts so typical of this region, and bustling streetlife
offered many opportunities for the teams to be entertaining and
creative as they searched for the ideal picture location for the
upcoming photo competition (voting closes on Thursday at 10.00 CET).
A long ascent into the mountains swiftly followed. At around 1,000
metres, the riders were treated to some fast, wider sandy tracks along
the ridges that allowed them to really open their throttles for a
change, and let their GS bikes breathe, while they took in the lovely
vistas. A fast descent took them through valleys peppered with
villages and then onto a final tar section for a travel-guide ride-in
across verdant, cultivated fields back to Camp Salawin.
On arrival, their odometers were reading around 140 kilometres for
the day but everyone agreed that it felt more like 280. However,
things weren’t finished yet, as a third Special awaited the teams once
the sun went down.
Entitled ‘Camp Champ’, this trials challenge was watched by all
teams, organisation staff, event caterers and just about everyone
associated with the GS Trophy ‘circus’, adding considerable pressure
at the end of an exhausting day.
A special mention must go to the brave trio of ladies who have made
GS Trophy history by becoming the first ever female team to ‘take on
the boys’ at this special event. This is what they had to say about
their Trophy experience so far.
Morag Campbell, South Africa: “The support from the guys is
phenomenal, they cheer for us, they call our names individually,
it’s really nice. They’re behind us on every task and when we are
out on the trails they are so much fun.”
Amy Harburg, Australia: “I’m surprised how the locals are
interacting with us. When we stop they come to us and that is so
nice, it gives an extra dimension. They probably wouldn’t be like
this with tourists. And when we ride past, first they see the bikes,
then they see Stephanie’s hair and they do a double-take!”
Stephanie Bouisson, France: “The whole event is fantastic, as it
was in South Africa too. The reactions are interesting from all the
locals. I offer them the Thai greeting and they love that too. It’s
an amazing event, in an amazing country.”
On the conclusion of the final Special, all points were added up and
revealed to the teams. After day four of seven, Team South Africa are
still on top, with Team Germany and Team UK rounding out the top three.
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 Four:
1 South Africa
164
2 Germany
149
3 UK
148
4 CEEU
147
5 Latin
America 144
6 Brazil
141
6 China
141
8 USA
122
9 Argentina
114
10 France
112
10 Mexico
112
12 Canada
105
12 Italy
105
14
Russia 99
15 South Korea
84
16 International Female Team 78
16 South East Asia 78
18
Japan 75
19
Alps 72
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