Team GB sets off for the final round of the 2010 BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy

BMW Motorrad UK
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Media Information 12 November 2010

Team GB sets off for the final round of the 2010 BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy!

Three British GS-owners set to compete against riders from thirteen nations!

Alastair Allan, Mark Kinnard and Kevin Hammond, the three GS-loving owners from Britain, are travelling to South Africa to represent their nation in the final round of the 2010 BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy! The three riders won their places in the team after a gruelling two-day selection event organised by BMW Off Road Skills and Dakar race legend Simon Pavey.

Ten teams, each made up of three riders, will be competing in the BMW Motorrad GS Trophy which gets underway on 13 November. During the seven days that follow, they will encounter hugely varied cultures, climates and conditions, from sandy African bushlands to rocky riverbeds and wet forest paths across South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland!

With almost 2,000km of riding ahead of them, the three-man teams will be expected to tackle some of the continent’s toughest terrain on BMW F 800 GS adventure-sports bikes as well as compete in physical and technical tasks designed to test all their riding, planning and problem-solving abilities. Along the way, they will experience a mix of stunning scenery, great beaches, forests, outstanding sunsets and enjoy some of the best adventure riding anywhere in the world.

The original BMW GS Challenge in 2008, held in Tunisia, was a huge success, and inspired BMW Motorrad to take things to a whole new level with the even-bigger 2010 International BMW GS Trophy!

This year, vying for the coveted title of ‘the World’s best GS riders’ are teams from the USA, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Spain, Italy, Japan, Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Finland), Great Britain and a joint Swiss-Austrian team. All of the teams will be aiming to end the reign of the current champions the United States – and the American riders will be looking to secure their second successive title!

The riding conditions in Mozambique are going to be particularly tricky, with lots of loose sand, similar to the 2008 event in Tunisia. But things could get even more challenging as the wet season is overdue in southern Africa, but the rains are yet to arrive! If the storms hit during the GS Trophy then it will play havoc with the riding conditions, as well as the tasks the riders are expected to complete! The unpredictability of the weather and landscape adds to the excitement for the teams and organisers.

GS fans around the world can follow the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy online at www.gstrophy.com, where there will be daily updates, pictures, film clips and news from all the teams that are participating.