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worldofBMW
Media Information 23 November 2010
Victorious Team GB take the 2010 International BMW GS Trophy title in nail biting, three-way battle
Hard fought eight-day off-road challenge won by a single point!
The 2010 International BMW Motorrad GS Trophy, a mammoth eight-day off-road adventure running for 2,000km across three South African nations and involving a host of challenges, tests and trials, has been won by Team GB.
The British team, made up of amateur GS-owning riders Alastair Allan, Mark Kinnard, and Kevin Hammond, rode BMW F 800 GS adventure-sports bikes across South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique. The plucky British riders built up an early lead which developed into a thrilling three-way battle with the Scandinavian and South African teams, all the while dodging lions and elephants and tackling some of the most beautiful, but challenging, terrain in the world.
The gruelling competition, involving ten teams from all over the world, pushed the riders to their limits. A range of challenges tested their riding skills, endurance and ability to work together as a team. The competition lasted eight days, one of which was Team GB member Kevin Hammond’s 50th birthday. The birthday boy was treated to the toughest day of the whole event which ended with a 30km ride across the deepest sand in the competition, all in temperatures over 35ºC!
The non-stop GS Trophy schedule mixed long days in the saddle, up to 300km on gravel roads in a single day, with a range of tricky challenges including steep hillclimbs, obstacle courses, slow-speed slaloms, river crossings and tractor pulls - the latter of which came easily to Team GB’s two farmers! And there were no luxury hotels or tales of indulgence along the way, the teams camped under the African stars at night.
Kevin and the team rose to the challenge with gusto, going on to win the hotly contested title with a slim one-point lead over second placed Team South Africa! A combined Scandinavian team took a well-earned third.
Mark Kinnard, 42, from Hertfordshire, was equally pleased, “It was very tight going into the very last day. We said on the final night that whatever the outcome, we would be very happy. Winning is terrific, of course, but it was the experience – the country, the friendships, the shared highs and lows – that will stay with us long after the glow of victory will fade.”
Kevin Hammond, 50, from Norfolk, said: “It really was tough! The GS Trophy tested our skills and pushed us to the limit. It was very hard work and we had some crashes, but we’d all love to go back and start all over again! Reaching the Indian Ocean when we finished the desert crossing was fantastic, seeing that incredible blue of the water together with the first cold beer of the day, it was just incredible.”
Alastair Allan, 42, from Cambridgeshire, said: “What can I say? Job done! It’s been a fantastic adventure. We all got on like a house on fire and that’s what made it a great event to take part in. And I think the fact that the team got on so well is the key to our success. It was an unbelievable test and a true once in a lifetime experience.”
Mark Kinnard leads the pack on a BMW F 800 GS
Team GB celebrate their victory in style
