Castlepoint, New Zealand. Today’s stage of the 2020 BMW Motorrad
International GS Trophy is best described as a long push south along
coastal trails. The Pacific Ocean glistened an azure blue under an
unrelenting sun, while the riders weaved between shore and hills on a
mix of tarmac, gravel and even sand.
A brilliant sunrise over the Pacific greeted the riders as they
struck their tents for the typically early start. They rode along the
coast to Cape Kidnappers (so named as this is where in 1769 the cabin
boy on Captain James Cook’s ship Endeavour was abducted by Maori
warriors). Here the GS riders faced their first challenge of the day,
‘Gravel Push’. For this the three teammates needed to push or pull
their F 850 GS, with the engine off, across a slalom course set in the
deep gravel at the back of the beach. A good way to warm up for the
ride ahead!
After this the course took the GS riders inland through the Hawke’s
Bay wine growing region, passing the vineyards of the famous Elephant
Hill, Black Bridge and Clear View wineries. Te Mata Peak, an
impressive 400m limestone escarpment guarded the road south, while the
riders enjoyed the dappled shade offered by avenues of poplar and willow.
The vineyards eventually gave way to sheep and cattle grazing
stations – the primary industry in the Wairarapa. Where the riders
found stands of native manuka trees they also found another of the
Wairarapa’s agricultural activities: bee keeping, manuka honey being a
highly valued produce. From here the trails – a constant mix of tarmac
and gravel – led back to the coast and at Pourerere the riders found
themselves riding on the beach itself, sometimes on the broad swathes
of sand revealed by the low tide, sometimes on tracks that weaved
between the dunes and toi toi (like a pampas grass).
Back on the road, the GS riders headed south to Herbertville where
again they rode onto the beach – a common theme for the day – for the
second challenge, ‘Beach Sprint’. In this just one member was tasked
to ride against the clock on an out-and-back course across the sands,
finishing in a prescribed ‘stop box’. This called for full commitment
to attain high speeds, but good technique if the rider wasn’t to nose
dive into the sand at the turnaround or finish.
The last leg of the journey was an arduous 200km twisting route
through the heart of the Wairarapa, as ever switching between tarmac
and gravel all the way. The gravel can never be trusted – as one UK
rider found just 5km from the finish when he found deep gravel and
slid to the ground, but no damage done. The finish came at Castlepoint
– another of Captain Cook’s ‘discoveries’, named on account of the
162m rock formation that protects over the beach. There’s also a reef,
which sailors need to avoid, but today makes this a popular surf destination.
The day again proved a long one, with riders still arriving after
6pm, but as ever an excellent locally-sourced evening meal awaited,
and a special surprise: a sheep show! This being the Wairarapa what
else would you expect?
Finally, in the evening, the teams submitted their images for the
first GS Trophy photo contest. Public voting for the photo competition
will open at 00:00 (GMT+13 New Zealand time) on February 11 and
remains open for 24 hours. Go to www.gstrophy.com
for full details on how to vote.
Rider quotes:
Tim Mitchell, Team UK
“I’m absolutely loving this, the more we go on, seeing the mountains,
and the views we’ve been treated to today, it’s incredible. We’ve had
a few hiccups in the competition, but hopefully we’ve enough days left
to come back into contention. The bike has been impressing me, I ride
an R 1200 GS at home but I”m enjoying the way the F 850 GS rides in
these twisting lanes and trails – and the new rider aids make quite a difference.”
Shaun Terblanche, Team Australia
“Today was brilliant, the scenery is beautiful, the tracks awesome.
You just can’t imagine the scenery, the green hills, beautiful beaches
and the sea. We’ve gone well today, as well, with good times in both
challenges so we’re hoping we’ll improve in the rankings. The event is
incredible, it’s been absolutely great meeting all these riders, the
marshals, the crew – there’s so much that goes into this event, and
the guys here have it covered!”
Yeonsoo Yun, Team South Korea
“We are loving this event. We practiced every week before coming
here, as a team. I have so much respect for my teammates, we motivate
each other and work together so well, bringing different skills, but
always motivated to win! I’m young, just 23, so I want to win more
than anything, but my teammates, despite being older than me, they’re
sharing this feeling. It’s very exciting to have led after day one, so
we’ll give maximum effort to stay ahead! But more than anything, we’re
loving this experience!”
BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2020 Oceania.
Day 2 overall standings:
1 South Korea 120 points
2 France 90
3 USA 87
4 South Africa 85
5 Italy 77
6 Russia 77
7 Netherlands 77
8 Australia 59
9 Latin America 58
10 Argentina 57
11 Mexico 54
12 Middle East 54
13 Brazil 48
14 Japan 45
15 Nordic 44
16 Malaysia 39
17 India 37
18 UK 36
19 North Africa 34
20 Thailand 24
21 Int. Female Team I 18
22 Int. Female Team II 14
The event’s excitement will also be relayed with much more
information of a more informal kind via BMW Motorrad’s social media sources:
BMW Motorrad Facebook www.facebook.com/bmwmotorrad
Twitter www.twitter.com/bmwmotorrad (#gstrophy)
YouTube www.youtube.com/bmwmotorrad
Instagram www.instagram.com/bmwmotorrad
“RIDE AND TALK – The BMW Motorrad Podcast”
Watch out for more information on the BMW Motorrad International GS
Trophy 2020 – brought to you directly from New Zealand!
In case of queries, please contact:
Tim Diehl-Thiele, Head of Communications BMW Motorrad Tel.: +49 151
601 57505, Tim.Diehl-Thiele@bmw.de
Ingo Wirth, Head of Communications MINI and BMW Motorrad Tel.: +49 89
382 25814, Ingo.Wirth@bmw.de
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly
facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.
n 2019, the BMW Group sold over 2,520,000 passenger vehicles and more
than 175,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2018 was € 9.815 billion on revenues amounting to €
97.480 billion. As of 31 December 2018, the BMW Group had a workforce
of 134,682 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
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroup