There’s a worldwide community that’s united by the iconic BMW GS motorcycle and every two years, usually somewhere in the ‘middle of nowhere’, a group of elite amateur riders from across the globe gathers to battle for supremacy and the kudos of being crowned the best GS-riding nation in the world. Welcome to the International GS Trophy, which this year was biggest and best yet…
It all started in Tunisia in 2008, went from strength-to-strength in South Africa in 2010 and got even bigger in Argentina and Chile in 2012. This year the fourth edition of this unique customer event took place for the first time in the northern hemisphere. Featuring more teams and riders than ever before, Canada was the chosen venue, and what a venue it was…
Just to get to the start line in the Rocky Mountains, the competitors could already count themselves as winners, as every participating country already had its own national qualifying tournament in order to select their team of GS riders with the best combination of riding ability, leadership skills and resourcefulness.
But what exactly happens at the Trophy? Simply put, national teams comprising the best GS riders in the world gather to explore some of the most engaging roads, tracks and trails on the planet, while enjoying a friendly series of competitions – usually in the form of riding and navigation ‘specials’ – that will determine who wins the coveted title of International GS Trophy champions. Along the way, interaction with the local communities and respect for the environments that this travelling circus passes through, ensures that a positive brand message is communicated.
This year was the biggest GS Trophy to date, with 16 teams representing 19 nations lining up on the start line at the Kananaskis resort in Ex Shaw, west of Calgary. And when one adds up the organisation and logistical teams, there are more than 120 people involved in this two-wheeled, constantly travelling circus that looped its way through the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia over 2,300 kilometres.
The riding itself was simply outstanding, with a mix of fast, sweeping gravel trails, interspersed with challenging rock-strewn mountain tracks, river crossings and high-altitude passes through areas even few Canadians get to see. Plenty of drama unfolded over the seven days of tough riding and approximately 20 special stages. Along the way, friendships were made, punctured tyres were repaired, and rescues carried out, usually involving many team members working together and using a combination of motorcycle straps and brute strength, when the occasional overenthusiastic rider would fail to make the corner and plunge down a bank. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured during the entire competition – a considerable feat considering there was a combined total of nearly a quarter million kilometres of riding over seven days.
The GS Trophy is more than just a customer event, it is also a worldwide celebration of the BMW GS lifestyle. However, there is no point in organising this bi-annual gathering of elite teams of GS riders from across the globe without telling people about it. This is where the communications teams play their part…
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The interest in the Trophy is at an all-time high thanks to the long build-up via social media and the work of the teams and their fans in the various national markets, and the event organisers in connecting online and helping spread the GS Trophy message via all kinds of different media platforms. At the actual event, the communication was ramped up even further, with teams of journalists, photographers and film crews all working together to ensure that the watching world had access to ‘as live’ updates via the gstrophy.com international website and the official BMW Motorrad Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube brand channels. Furthermore, each team brought its own designated journalist to ride, experience and report on the entire event from their perspective. Such is the nature of the GS community that most of the teams had already connected online long before they would meet face-to-face as competitors, which helped create a ‘family’ atmosphere from day one.
For those lucky enough to have been there, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share some of the best on- and off-road riding in the world – surely an experience they will never forget. In the end, there had to be a winning trio, which was Team Central and Eastern Europe (CEEU), followed by South Africa and France. But ask any of the other competitors from Argentina, USA, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Latin America, Canada, UK, Germany, Mexico, Korea, Japan, Brazil and Italy, and they will tell you that they too felt like winners, just for taking part.
For those who plan to try qualifying for the next event in 2016 – at a location still to be determined – then it’s not hard to find a wealth of information from the latest Trophy online. Daily reports can be read at gstrophy.com, short videos, photos and tweets can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by using the hash-tag #gstrophy, and emotional films have already been uploaded to the BMW Motorrad brand channel on YouTube.
Find out more and be inspired at the gstrophy.com website. Perhaps you could be living the GS dream, representing your nation in 2016?
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