For the 2018 BMW International GS Trophy, 14 teams headed to Mongolia for the sixth edition of the event, which occurs every two years.Each country was represented by a three-rider team aboard BMW R 1200 Rallye GS machinery, and these teams rode a total of 1,460 miles in eight days, which includes various team challenges.
When all was finished at the same sport where it all began at Camp Chinisiin Khuree near Ulaanbaatar, Team South Africa claimed the win. This was the second-straight year South Africa took the title (the other arriving at the 2016 BMW GS Trophy in Thailand; Team USA finished eighth).Finishing 52 points behind was Team USA, with France in third, 54 points behind. 52 pointsOnt he final day, the GS riders faced the final hurdle, the “Monster Trial.” Here all three team members entered the extended challenge together and riding against the clock rode over various banks, ditches and along a dried- up river bed before taking on three sub-sections which further tested their bike handling skills.These included a full-lock maze section and a GS Trophy favorite, the “elephant turn” (maybe a camel turn given this is Mongolia) where the riders have to spin turn their GS a full 180 degrees.With a 43 point advantage going into this test, for Team South Africa the win was theirs to lose, albeit with triple points available they could still be beaten.But being such a well-drilled team this wasn’t going to happen, and true to form they put in an excellent performance, fast, slick and accurate – and calculated, each rider forfeiting two points in the maze when they dabbed (put their foot down) to ensure safe spin turns.It was a performance worthy of champions, albeit they were beaten by Team France who blazed to their second day win to come within two points of overturning Team USA for the runner-up position.So while Team South Africa again took the winners’ trophies, and Teams USA and France the runners-ups’ trophies none of the GS riders left empty handed as each rider was given the radiator covers from their GS to take home.No ordinary covers, these had been 3D printed in aluminum and machined with their rider number and name integrated into the design. A memento to remind them of eight of the most exciting days in the wilds of Mongolia, an amazing country, on the incomparable GS, an extraordinary motorcycle.Speaking after the win, Team South Africa’s Mark Dickinson said “It was a good day today. We trained as hard as we could before we came to the event and that has paid off over the days and especially today in the final trial. But equally importantly we’ve had fun and while the whole BMW GS community is like a family we’ve made some especially great friends while we’ve been here.And with the GS Trophy it doesn’t end at the checkered flag, we’ve been exchanging addresses and social media contact information all week and I know we’ll be in touch and making visits on each other in the years to come. We’ve all shared this special experience and that’s created a bond between us. It’s been a great event, and to win again makes it perfect.”
2018 BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2018 Central Asia Final standings:
1. South Africa 338 2. USA 286 3. France 284 4. Latin America 246 5. Mexico 236 6. Korea 221 7. UK 196 8. Germany 193 9. Russia 171 10. Australia 170 11. Argentina 162 12. Southeast Asia 155 13. China 144 14. Canada 137
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!