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GS Trophy
2010
Day 4 of the race that’s not a race
At first glance the Trophy seems
to be purely a male thing. That is,
if it weren’t for the one lone woman
– Celia le Roux from Little
Karoo, en route on an 800cc as
a guide.
“Have a lekker day,” she says
by way of goodbye with a beaming
smile as she heads into ten
kilometres of deep sand that will
bring everyone back from the Indian
Ocean to the South African
border. “Lekker” is Afrikaans and
refers to all of the great things
in life: riding motorcycles, food,
women …
Spending less than 24 hours
in one of the poorest countries in
the world is of course not enough
to gather more than a superficial
impression of the country and
the people. Among the memories
that remain are simple mud
huts with corrugated metal roofs,
waving children, mangoes,
bananas, and papayas, women
who elegantly balance heavy
loads on their heads, a handful
of goats, large plastic sacks full
of charcoal lined up on the side
of the road in the hopes of earning
a couple of meticals to supplement
their meager living.
The special challenge “Elephant
Turn” is waiting beyond
the border. Imagine that you‘re in
the middle of the bush, when you
TROPHY
GS
DAY 4
17.11.2010
suddenly find an angry bull elephant in front of you and you
have to get away as quickly as you can. The team rides 25
metres in relay fashion through deep sand, makes a tight Uturn
and returns to the starting point. The Spanish team manages
the U-turn the fastest and wins.
The day seems longer than it is. Although “only” 160 kilometres
are in the schedule today, most are still feeling the
effects of Mission Ponta. The new fields of deep sand prove
to be the undoing of one Japanese rider and one German.
Having received several injuries, they climb into the escort
vehicle for the day.
Narrow, single track roads overgrown with lush vegetation
lead past Lake Sibaya to the Phinda Game Reserve. The motorcycles
are parked beneath tall trees and the tents are pitched.
Afterward come the “Big Five”. With a little bit of luck,
the Trophy participants will catch a glimpse of elephants, lions,
rhinos, buffalo, and leopards during the game drive.
Overall rankings after the 4th stage: