BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2020 Oceania. Day 5. Team SA takes the lead
Day 5 changed the 2020 GS Trophy in a big way as the South Island served up a sizable new challenge: mountains! As promised, the riding intensity had been raised to a new level.
The morning started with a steep and winding 20km rocky climb up Mount Richmond. The riders travelled through forest which took them above the cloud base before reaching the 754m Maungatapu Saddle where they found the first test of the day: the Emirates Challenge.
In this test all the riders had to navigate tricky trials between the rocks and bush while remembering three key flight details to be relayed to the marshal at the finish: flight number, boarding time and seat number!
The ride down the mountain was no less tricky and for sure the riders were grateful for the coffee stop in Nelson (the capital of the Tasman Bay region), known for its spectacular sea fishing as much as the local fruit and wine cultures.
However, the coffee break was soon forgotten when the riders found themselves fighting their way up and over yet another mountain. This one was even more technical than the first.
After a tough morning, the afternoon took on a more reflective attitude as the riders got to enjoy the spectacular ride on highway through the Gorge, to come out upon the west coast and the Tasman Sea. Here the riders found a stunning ocean road bordered by limestone cliffs and rainforest dotted with New Zealand’s unique and beautiful Nikau palm trees.
The riders´ final destination was Punakaiki Beach were they embarked on the second test of the day: the Rab Challenge. This test brought many a laugh as the teams had to run across the beach, remove their boots, unpack and climb into their Rab sleeping bag, then reverse out, pack the bag, slip on their boots and run back to their next teammate.
Day Five overall standings:
1 South Africa 277
2 France 266
3 Italy 247
4 South Korea 233
5 Russia 212
6 Netherlands 208
7 Brazil 205
8 Australia 192
9 USA 190
10 Argentina 186
11 Middle East 186
12 Latin America 185
13 Nordic 168
14 Mexico 165
15 UK 164
16 Japan 151
17 India 141
18 Malaysia 141
19 Thailand 136
20 Int. Female Team I 108
21 North Africa 106
22 Int. Female Team II 58
BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2020 Oceania. Day 4. The (No) Rest Day
Day 4 was something of a liaison as the 2020 BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy transitioned from the North Island to the South Island of New Zealand.
The riders interpreted this as a chance to rest and recharge their batteries, but with a 3:30 am call to breakfast – so as to catch the early inter-island ferry – they soon realised, that there really is no rest in this competition until the finish.
Nonetheless, this was a great opportunity for the GS riders to share experiences, as with three hours on the ferry they had plenty of time for inter-team chats. Albeit that was after they had completed their first challenge of the day – the ‘40 years of GS Quiz’ in which they were tested on their knowledge of this iconic motorcycle that has become so much more than just a brand.
In fact it was a ferry ride in three parts: knowledge test, sleep and sightseeing, the latter coming as the ferry made its way down the spectacular Queen Charlotte Sound to the port of Picton.
In Picton the GS Trophy riders created a stir as all 140 F 850 GS motorcycles disembarked the ferry, followed by the vast entourage of cars and trucks that support the event. Once out of Picton – which took all of two minutes, it’s that small – the GS riders enjoyed a scenic ride through the Marlborough Sounds.
Although this region is world famous for its wine production, the route followed the national park trail along the sounds and then up into the valleys before reaching the small town of Havelock (population: 486) where the GS riders gratefully stopped for a refreshment break. From here it was a short ride to Pelorus Bridge where they found their campsite set deep in a forest.
The early afternoon finish was not an opportunity to rest as the GS riders found two more challenges waiting for them. First was the ‘GPS Challenge’ in which the teams took their BMW Motorrad Navigator VI GPS units and had to find their way – on foot – through the forest to find another Navigator VI unit from which they extracted data to be reported to the marshal at the end of the challenge.
No sooner had they finished this, than the riders were shepherded to the ‘Metzeler Challenge’ where they needed to demonstrate their prowess with the tools, changing the rear wheel on their F 850 GS. Again, as this was against the clock the teams needed to have intimate knowledge of the wheel spacers, chain run and brake arrangement if they were to set a fast time.
Day 4 was the halfway point of the 2020 GS Trophy and the competition was really getting heated. The top three teams were very close together on points indicating that the remaining days would indeed be a battle for the top spot.
Day 4 overall standings:
1 France 226
2 South Africa 223
3 Italy 211
4 South Korea 199
5 Netherlands 189
6 Russia 188
7 Brazil 175
8 Middle East 170
9 USA 165
10 Australia 160
11 Latin America 158
12 Argentina 155
13 UK 139
14 Mexico 138
15 India 129
16 Japan 127
17 Thailand 124
18 Nordic 123
19 Malaysia 115
20 North Africa 93
21 Int. Female Team I 89
22 Int. Female Team II 52
