The 2020 event concluded at the ski resort of Coronet Peak near Queenstown after a gruelling 2 500km. After winning in 2016 in Thailand and Mongolia in 2018, this is the third time South Africa has come out on top in the acclaimed event. The eighth and final day of the competition saw contestants navigating the Nevis Road which featured 24 river crossings and ample testing rocky sections spanning the near 70km length.
The final day had competitors set off at 7am starting with a flowing road through Cardrona. After an hour of riding following Crown Range, riders caught their first glimpse of ‘The Remarkables’, a mountain range outside of Queenstown. Making their way into Arrowtown, riders had to conquer the Arrow River which was over a metre deep in parts. After a brief coffee break, the rider made their way along the shores of Lake Wakatipu before taking on the Nevis Road. Soon after the steep 1 300km climb into Nevis Valley, the contestants were faced with the 24 river crossings which would challenge them along the route and resulted in a few falls soakings even after employing their excellent trials skills.
The first test of contestant’s skills came close to the end of Nevis Road where riders were presented with the Jerrycan Challenge. Navigating a track alongside a stream, GS riders had to carry two fuel cans in a two-up configuration up a hill after which the pillion rider and a third team member had to return with both cans to the start-finish line via the stream to reunite with the GS rider. Following the first test, the riders rejoined the highway, completing their circumventing of the mountain range. The final test took place at the Coronet Peak ski resort for the final test, the Parcour. With the top three teams close in contention at this point, the double points challenge played a pivotal role in the final scores. After the test, Team South Africa had done just enough to stay ahead of their nearest rivals France and Italy to score their third GS Trophy win.
“With just a five points gap coming into this morning it was a scary start to the day, we were nervous, shaking even and over-thinking everything! So in the jerrycan test, we had a few problems but we got back up and carried on. For the final parcour, this was one of the scariest events I’ve ever taken part in. But it was awesome, we set a fast time with super clean riding, we felt we’d done all that we could. And it was enough! We’re super-happy to take the win and we know for the GS community at home this is cause for celebration. Our third win, it’s wonderful,” Brandon Grimsted, Team South Africa
BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2020
Oceania.
Final standings:
1 South Africa 394
2 France 382
3 Italy 380
4 Netherlands 375
5 South Korea 361
6 Latin America 355
7 Brazil 335
8 Russia 316
9 Mexico 295
10 Argentina 278
11 Middle East 268
12 Australia 264
13 USA 254
14 Nordic 246
15 UK 238
16 Thailand 222
17 Japan 218
18 Malaysia 208
19 India 200
20 Int. Female Team I 169
21 North Africa 146
22 Int. Female Team II 118
