BMW GS Trophy 2020 Oceania: The competition

Introduction

The BMW GS Trophy 2020 served as a platform for GS riders from across the world to come together and celebrate the spirit of motorcycling. But the form of celebration was quite different from what I have seen in the past.  

Each one of us were given a F850GS and had eight days to explore the magnificent country of New Zealand. But there was a twist. A big one. Each day, there were special stages that were smartly placed between the riding sessions. These special stages aka competitions were designed to see how well the riders coordinate within the team, their fitness level and the amount of fun they were having. It also tested the mental abilities of each rider. A total of 16 such challenges were arranged. I list them down in this story.  

1: River Crossing 

Here, each rider had to navigate through some tightly placed cones and also cross the deep river twice. They also had to go around some tight turns before heading towards the steep loose hill where the time would stop.  

2: Sena Stage 

One rider is blindfolded here whereas his team member stands on the side and gives him directions via the Sena Bluetooth communication system. The blindfolded rider has to go through a series of cones before reaching the finish line. 

3: The Gravel Push 

Teams had to start the motorcycle with the ignition off but in the first gear. There was the option of changing the gear to neutral before pushing the bike in the deep gravel. The riders could use two ropes for assistance. The team with the maximum strength and best strategy won here.  

4: The Sand Sprint 

This was a timed event. The rider had to start the bike, ride it for a few metres, take a U-turn and stop it in a conical box. This competition was all about getting the right traction from the tyres and the momentum, considering that it was a beach exercise.  

5: The Sand Slalom 

The riders had to get around a slalom course which has very low traction due to its beach location. The idea is to do this as quickly as possible since it’s a timed event.  

6: The LEAT Challenge 

Three LEAT neck braces were placed around each rider. Each team member got 2 chances to throw each glove inside the braces. A total of 270 points could be gained from this competition. 

7: The Forest Trials 

Like the name suggests, this competition involved riders riding through the tight forest trails which also had a series of obstacles. If the riders dropped the bike or put their feet down, then the points will be deducted. Like most of the competitions in this year’s GS Trophy, this event was a timed one as well. 

8: The Navigation Challenge 

Teams were given a set of co-ordinates which needed to be transferred to BMW’s GPS system. The idea here was to follow the GPS navigation and arrive at the co-ordinates. At that location, there was another GPS system which needed to be brought back. But the catch was that the team needed to transfer the new co-ordinates to the new GPS device.  

9: The Metzeler Challenge 

Here, riders had to remove and re-install the rear wheel as quickly as possible with the tools provided by BMW. But the difficult aspect of this challenge was to accurately install the tyre, without any errors. Plus, the time was stopped only after all the tools were placed inside the tool box.  

10: The Emirates Challenge 

The riders needed to ride through a challenging trail and navigate through some really tough sections. At the most challenging section, the riders had to memorise a few details like flight number, seat number and flight time. All this had to be done as quickly possible. The team with the least time and accurate details scores the maximum points.  

11: The Rab Challenge

The riders had to run towards the tent, take off the boots, unwrap the sleeping bag, take it inside the tent, sleep inside the tent for a second, come out, pack the sleeping bag, put the boots and run towards the end. All three riders from the team had to participate in this test. The team with the least combined time scored the maximum points. 

12: When-to-ride Challenge 

Only two riders per team could ride in this challenge. The first rider had to ride off-road and set a time. The second rider rode through the same off-road course but needed to finish close to the first rider’s time. The interesting part of this challenge was that watch or any kind of timers were not allowed. The riders had to count seconds by themselves when riding. The team with the closest or equal time scored the maximum points.  

13: The Akrapovic Challenge 

The challenge here was to navigate cones around tight turns and lose gravel. There were a few half climbs on really lose gravel as well. This is why riders were allowed to put their feet down in case of loss of balance. But if the riders lost momentum, then the recovery was going to take a lot of time that would bring down the overall points.  

14: The Push-Start Challenge 

The riders needed to jump start the bike. The team who did that in the shortest distance, scored the maximum points. But the problem were the heavy crosswinds that made everyone’s life difficult.  

15: The Jerry-Can Challenge 

This challenge was the most grueling one. Two riders on a single bike had to carry a pair of jerry cans, while the third team member ran behind them. They did a loop around the course and stopped. The pillion rider and the third rider then took the jerry cans and crossed a river before reaching the finish line where the main rider met them.  

16: The Double-Pointer Challenge

 Every rider had to do a Le Mans start, then proceed towards a series of obstacles like slalom course, steep and off-camber hill climbs before taking up the extremely difficult slaloms again. The rider then had to high-five the next rider, who then proceeded with the same course. The team who did it in the least time scored the maximum points.   

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