There was a palpable tension at breakfast this morning, as chief
marshal Tomm Wolf’s words were still ringing in the ears of the
riders, who had been warned to expect a seriously tough, but
ultimately rewarding day, where teamwork, support and intelligent
riding would win the day.
It was an early departure from the bivouac at Khun Tan this
morning, and with the points total so close, there was much that
could be gained – or lost – during this important penultimate day of competition.
The first Special came some 27 kilometres down the trail. And
what a special! In essence a 10-kilometre single track section; in
reality a two-hour slog over the roughest terrain seen yet, ridden
in 37º heat and high humidity. The riders faced a never-ending
succession of steep, unforgiving rock-strewn paths, trails that
would be tricky enough on a small enduro bike, so a real test on a
mighty BMW GS adventure bike. The top riders dazzled with their
brave and often successful attacks on the climbs, but were typically
forced to park their BMW GS bikes and run back down the slippery
slopes to help their less fortunate team-mates – the difference
between success a failure being the smallest unseen tree root, or
loose rock. The themes here were camaraderie and team spirit, and
only by getting all your mates to the top of the hill could points
be awarded. At the top, a fair reward of a welcome rest and recovery
on the shady banks of a mountain lake.
The joy expressed by the riders on reaching the top of the trail
was one of the defining moments of the 2016 GS Trophy, but the
competitors still had plenty of riding ahead of them, so it was
‘onwards and upwards’ for the next 15 kilometres, with yet another
super-committing hill climb claiming yet more ‘victims’, until the
teams arrived at the second Special – a Trophy favourite that is the
towing exercise that, as ever, is harder than it looks. The task
facing the teams sounded simple: use one GS to tow another up a
mountain track, turn around an obstacle and come back down again,
without stalling the engine, stopping or falling.
After this exhausting challenge in the searing heat, the next
100 ‘clicks’ took the riders through a mountainous jungle region
with incredible views from the endless switchbacks that demanded
high levels of concentration from all. On arrival at the bivouac in
picturesque Wassana Raja, there was no time for rest and relaxation,
because yet another Special awaited them. ‘Pit Stop’ sounded simple
enough and in the usual circumstances, a colour-coded triple wheel
change seems fairly straightforward, but combined with the mental
tiredness that comes from almost a week of intensive riding, and
mistakes can easily be made, especially when the clock is running.
Keeping a cool head under pressure were Team UK, whose wheel changes
were the slickest by far.
The overall points were eagerly awaited this evening, and
rightly so. Accompanied by a background chorus of cicadas and
croaking frogs, BMW Motorrad’s marshal and member of the jury
Christian Pingitzer revealed the latest standings. It was unchanged
in the top three, with Team South Africa, Team Germany and Team UK
remaining the strongest contenders for GS Trophy honours tomorrow
evening. Twenty-four hours from now, the final result will be clear.
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 Six:
1 South Africa
242
2 Germany
225
3 UK
223
4 China
207
5 Latin America
205
6 CEEU
199
7 Brazil
188
8 USA
187
9 France
167
10 Argentina
162
11 Mexico
159
12 Italy
156
13 Russia
154
14 Canada
148
15 South Korea
137
16 South East Asia 128
17 Japan
108
18 International Female Team 102
18
Alps 102
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.
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupview
Google+:
http://googleplus.bmwgroup.com