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eak is spent trying to catch<br />
a few minutes of sleep <strong>and</strong><br />
constant pressure from all<br />
sides, keeping your cool<br />
becomes difficult. When a<br />
teammate slips up <strong>and</strong> drops<br />
the bike, costing the team a<br />
few places, being able to stay<br />
calm <strong>and</strong> not berate them for<br />
their sudden lack of talent is<br />
the difference between a team<br />
that wins or loses. Remaining<br />
a team is what it’s all about.<br />
Arriving back home for<br />
the guys was something they<br />
aren’t used to. The small<br />
crowds waiting at the airport,<br />
suddenly everyone knows<br />
your name <strong>and</strong> everyone<br />
wanting a picture – its special.<br />
The other side of the new<br />
experience was the little taste<br />
of the sponsored life. Being<br />
flown across the globe to<br />
ride in remote places, being<br />
given custom br<strong>and</strong>ed kit, all<br />
while paying for none of it.<br />
BMW Motorrad SA had custom<br />
helmets designed <strong>and</strong> painted<br />
with one of a kind decals<br />
to match the New Zeal<strong>and</strong><br />
l<strong>and</strong>scape. It’s this kind of<br />
support that makes it that much<br />
easier to go over <strong>and</strong> compete<br />
at our best <strong>and</strong> ultimately take<br />
home the 3rd consecutive<br />
International GS Trophy title…<br />
After eight days <strong>and</strong> about<br />
2,500km, GS Trophy Oceania<br />
<strong>2020</strong> reached its conclusion at<br />
the ski resort of Coronet Peak<br />
near Queenstown on Sunday,<br />
with team SA narrowly beating<br />
France <strong>and</strong> Italy.<br />
The SA team was represented<br />
by BJ Vosloo from Cape Town,<br />
Br<strong>and</strong>on Grimsted from<br />
Fouriesburg <strong>and</strong> Cobus Theron<br />
from Tulbagh.<br />
The event had 22 teams from<br />
around the world competing<br />
on identical BMW F 850 GS<br />
motorcycles over eight days.<br />
Teams are scored for their<br />
riding skills over a series of<br />
challenging off-road trails <strong>and</strong><br />
obstacles.<br />
It was the seventh edition of<br />
the event, which has previously<br />
been staged in Tunisia, SA,<br />
Patagonia, Canada, Thail<strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> Mongolia.<br />
“We’re super happy to take<br />
the win <strong>and</strong> we know for the<br />
GS community at home this<br />
is cause for celebration. Our<br />
third win, it’s wonderful,” said<br />
Grimsted.<br />
“Equally, we had a fun week.<br />
We thoroughly enjoyed it <strong>and</strong><br />
it was some of the best off-road<br />
riding I’ve done. As a team,<br />
we were already close, but the<br />
week of being in each other’s<br />
company all the hours of every<br />
day has bonded us. And the<br />
friends we’ve made along the<br />
way, from all these different<br />
nations — well, it makes the<br />
experience complete.”<br />
BMW Motorrad International<br />
GS Trophy <strong>2020</strong> Oceania<br />
Final st<strong>and</strong>ings:<br />
1 South Africa 394<br />
2 France 382<br />
3 Italy 380<br />
4 Netherl<strong>and</strong>s 375<br />
5 South Korea 361<br />
52 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE MARCH <strong>2020</strong> DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE MARCH <strong>2020</strong> 5 3
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