Press Release | February 1, 2019
Kia Ora – Welcome to New Zealand! Registration for qualifying events soon to be opened.
This is a press release from BMW Motorrad…
“Destination Paradise” might easily be the motto of the seventh edition of the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy which will hit ground in early 2020. BMW Motorrad revealed that the next Int. GS Trophy will take place in New Zealand – just another dream destination for most adventure riders worldwide. The participating nations now face a busy time, hosting their qualifiers and selecting their teams for this exciting and unique global adventure competition. Eighteen international teams, plus, as in the 2016 and 2018 editions, an international female contingent will be selected during the next months.
Confirmed teams for 2020:
Australia
China
Female Team(s)
France
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Malaysia/Philippines
Mexico
Middle East
Nordic (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland)
North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt)
Russia
South Africa
South Korea
Thailand
UK
USA
BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2020 Oceania
After the long days on the vast Mongolian Steppe of the 2018 Central Asia edition, New Zealand is going to provide a very different riding environment and experience for the qualifying GS riders, as Ralf Rodepeter, Head of Marketing and Product Management BMW Motorrad explains: “After Tunisia, Southern Africa, Patagonia, Canada, Thailand and most recently Mongolia, BMW Motorrad were again looking for a location that offers perfect ‘GS terrain.’ Lots of legal off-road kilometers are required, with demanding route profiles, passing through fascinating landscapes and with plenty of exotic flair. New Zealand is a perfect fit on those terms. The variety of astounding landscapes from sea to volcanoes to high-altitude mountains, combined with the most beautiful vegetation and the rich Maori culture provide the perfect setting for what we think will be one of the most exciting Int. GS Trophies ever held.
About the Intl. GS Trophy
The International GS Trophy is a celebration of the spirit of the BMW GS motorcycle, bringing together those elements of leisure, adventure and challenge that this bike engenders. The New Zealand 2020 event is the seventh edition of the International GS Trophy, the previous editions took place in Central Asia (Mongolia) in 2018, South East Asia (Thailand) in 2016, North America (Canada) in 2014, South America (Chile, Argentina) in 2012, South Africa (SA, Swaziland, Mozambique) in 2010 and North Africa (Tunisia) in 2008. This edition will see 19 teams – maybe even 20 – competing, meaning 54-57 riders, from around the world.
The event is not a race but a team competition, pitching the GS-riding international contingent against each other in a series of challenges – and not all involve riding. With the competitors camped nightly in a bivouac, the event also fosters a sense of brotherhood, sisterhood and camaraderie. Equally the GS Trophy is a celebration of culture and nature, the riders learning about and understanding the peoples and the terrains of the regions they encounter. So the successful team will be respectful of the environment, skillful and sympathetic with their machinery and understanding of team-mates.
Follow the event
In forthcoming press releases BMW Motorrad will provide details on the GS motorcycles that will be used, the equipment the participants will receive to help them through the event, and more information on the participating countries and teams selected.
During the event BMW Motorrad will provide a multi-channel media experience, with outputs ranging from social media feeds to regular written press releases to professionally shot and edited video synopses of each day, full details of which will be released closer to the time. For now you can find out more about the event and the teams at the dedicated website gstrophy.com.