(DE)
Thailand zeigt den GS Trophy Teams seine natürliche Schönheit
Am zweiten Tag der BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2016 galt „Business as usual“. Am Montag standen wieder spannende Sonderprüfungen und unvergessliche Routen auf der Strecke von Pai nach Mae Hong Son an.
Die Fahrer erlebten alle Facetten, die eine Int. GS Trophy zu bieten hat. Damit verglichen war der erste Tag für die Teilnehmer ein ruhiger Start in die Enduro-Challenge. Doch heute zeigte sich die Route durch Thailand von einer anderen Seite und gab den GS-Fahrern einen Ausblick darauf, wie die kommenden Tage sein werden. Die Tagesetappe am Montag umfasste rund 170 Kilometer – hier forderte jeder Kilometer Schweiß und Tränen.
Mit dem „Helicopter-Trail“ begann es verhältnismäßig ruhig: eine Motorradtour entlang jahrhundertalter Pfade, an Reisfeldern vorbei in die Berge bis zu einer Höhe von 1.686 Metern. Dort angekommen fanden sie das Wrack eines Militärhubschraubers vor, der der heutigen Route ihren Namen gab.
Die Fahrt hinab erwies sich als einer der Höhepunkte des Tages, denn für die GS-Fahrer wurde die Strecke immer steiler – eine schwierige Herausforderung. Einige von ihnen zogen sich kleinere Verletzungen zu, doch keiner wurde schwer verletzt. Die Abfahrt wurde zudem noch anstrengender durch den rasanten Anstieg der Temperatur von 20 °C auf dem Gipfel zu 32 °C in den Tälern.
Die erste Sonderprüfung des Tages hieß „Mai Daeng". Ein anspruchsvoller Weg lag vor den Teams : entlang an einem Ufer, unter einer Brücke hindurch, über ein felsiges Flussbett sowie einen Zick-Zack-Weg. Die Teams mussten bei dieser Aufgabe nicht nur gegeneinander, sondern auch gegen die Zeit antreten. Wenn ein Motorrad hinfiel, gab es für das Team eine Strafe von 30 Sekunden. Das Team Südafrika gewann diese Prüfung.
Die zweite Aufgabe hieß „Do You Know?“. Hierbei wurde das Wissen der Teilnehmer über die BMW R 1200 GS auf die Probe gestellt, insbesondere zu Leistung und Gewicht der Maschine.
Eine weitere Fahrt durch die Täler mit außergewöhnlichen Felsenformationen inmitten des Dschungels brachte die Teams nach Mae Hong Son. Am Zielort fand bei knapp 30°C und einer hohen Luftfeuchtigkeit die dritte und letzte Prüfung statt.
Die nächste Prüfung hieß „Dead End“, bei der die Teams zwei Singletrails für knapp 50 Meter entlang fahren mussten. Ziel war es, die Motorräder möglichst schnell in eine Sackgasse zu manövrieren. Zeitstrafen, die es beim Berühren des Absperrbandes oder beim Spurwechsel gab, machten die Prüfung umso schwerer. Besonders die Hitze brachte die Teams ins Schwitzen. Lateinamerika entschied diese Prüfung für sich.
John Harris vom Team Südafrika: „Als Team kamen wir zusammen. Wir hatten ein paar Schwierigkeiten, doch wir blieben weiter motiviert – das macht den Unterschied.“
Alle Ergebnisse wurden nach einem gemeinsamen Abendessen im Biwak im The Dai Resort verkündet. Team Südafrika führt am zweiten Tag die Int. GS Trophy an, danach folgen UK und Lateinamerika.
Die Ergebnisse von Tag 2 der Int. GS Trophy 2016:
1 Südafrika - 85
2 UK - 76
3 Lateinamerika - 74
4 China - 69
5 CEEU - 66
6 Frankreich - 62
7 Argentinien - 61
8 Deutschland - 60
9 USA - 59
10 Brasilien - 57
11 Italien - 55
12 Kanada - 52
13 Mexiko - 49
14 Russland - 48
15 Internationales Frauenteam - 29
15 Alps - 29
15 Südkorea - 29
15 Südostasien - 29
19 Japan - 27
(EN)
Thailand reveals its natural splendour to the GS Trophy Teams
It was 'business as usual' at the second day of the International GS Trophy 2016 competition as the heat returned, allowing full access to some memorable tracks and trails, and thrilling special stages that combined to offer all participants a day to remember on the route from Pai to Mae Hong Son.
The team riders experienced the full GS Trophy effect today; if day one had been a gentle introduction, this was a taste of the tough, demanding reality that will be the week ahead. The overall distance might have been short, too, at 170km, but the intensity meant every kilometre was measured if not in blood, then certainly sweat and tears.
Named the ‘Helicopter Trail’, today’s course started gentle, again seeing the competitors ride through quiet rural villages, passing along centuries-old paths between paddy fields, before ascending into the mountains. The high point came at 1,686m, marked by the wreckage of a crashed ‘Huey’ military helicopter that gave today’s course its name, close to the border with Myanmar.
The descent from there proved to be the day’s riding highlight, as the trail grew increasingly steep and technical, narrowing to a single track, then down to a single Metzeler-tyre’s width through the most critical sections. Not all competitors made it through unscathed, but none were injured either. It was intense and increasingly hot work as the temperatures rose, from 20º at the summit to 32º in the valleys.
The first special test of the day, ‘Mai Daeng’, required the competitors to beat the clock as they rode down a bridge embankment, then under the bridge along a rocky riverbed before chasing a zig-zag path up the far side of the valley. Like a special stage in a rally, this was about speed and aggression – and a modicum of calculation, for the teams needed to get all three bikes to the finish without a crash, as a dropped bike would incur a 30-second penalty. Team South Africa were victorious in this one.
Special Test Two, called ‘Do You Know?’, was sprung on the riders randomly during the day as they were challenged on their knowledge of the BMW R 1200 GS motorcycle, including the capacity, horsepower and weight.
The team riders experienced the full GS Trophy effect today; if day one had been a gentle introduction, this was a taste of the tough, demanding reality that will be the week ahead. The overall distance might have been short, too, at 170km, but the intensity meant every kilometre was measured if not in blood, then certainly sweat and tears.
Named the ‘Helicopter Trail’, today’s course started gentle, again seeing the competitors ride through quiet rural villages, passing along centuries-old paths between paddy fields, before ascending into the mountains. The high point came at 1,686m, marked by the wreckage of a crashed ‘Huey’ military helicopter that gave today’s course its name, close to the border with Myanmar.
The descent from there proved to be the day’s riding highlight, as the trail grew increasingly steep and technical, narrowing to a single track, then down to a single Metzeler-tyre’s width through the most critical sections. Not all competitors made it through unscathed, but none were injured either. It was intense and increasingly hot work as the temperatures rose, from 20º at the summit to 32º in the valleys.
The first special test of the day, ‘Mai Daeng’, required the competitors to beat the clock as they rode down a bridge embankment, then under the bridge along a rocky riverbed before chasing a zig-zag path up the far side of the valley. Like a special stage in a rally, this was about speed and aggression – and a modicum of calculation, for the teams needed to get all three bikes to the finish without a crash, as a dropped bike would incur a 30-second penalty. Team South Africa were victorious in this one.
Special Test Two, called ‘Do You Know?’, was sprung on the riders randomly during the day as they were challenged on their knowledge of the BMW R 1200 GS motorcycle, including the capacity, horsepower and weight.
A stunning ride through the valleys, with staggering cliff formations and jungle-vistas brought the competitors to the overnight bivouac at Mae Hong Son where the third and final test of the day awaited in mid-30s heat and high humidity.
Simply titled 'Dead End, the teams were shown two parallel single trails about 50 metres long and marked with barrier tape. Starting from one end, two teams at a time faced off against each other with the goal to be the fastest to push all their bikes to the 'dead end', touch tyres and then reverse them back again – all against the clock. With time penalties awarded for touching the barrier tape or going into the other lane, it was certainly harder than it looked, especially in the intense afternoon heat. After all 19 teams had run the gauntlet, it emerged that Team Latin America pushed harder and faster than all the other challengers.
As all the results were compiled after a fantastic evening meal at the bivouac at The Dai resort, it is Team South Africa who lead the Trophy after day two, with Team UK and Team Latin America rounding out the top three.
John Harris, Team South Africa: ”As a team we came together. We had one or two snags along the way but we didn't get upset about it. We stayed motivated, enjoyed it as a team and thoroughly enjoyed the day – that made the difference.”
Simply titled 'Dead End, the teams were shown two parallel single trails about 50 metres long and marked with barrier tape. Starting from one end, two teams at a time faced off against each other with the goal to be the fastest to push all their bikes to the 'dead end', touch tyres and then reverse them back again – all against the clock. With time penalties awarded for touching the barrier tape or going into the other lane, it was certainly harder than it looked, especially in the intense afternoon heat. After all 19 teams had run the gauntlet, it emerged that Team Latin America pushed harder and faster than all the other challengers.
As all the results were compiled after a fantastic evening meal at the bivouac at The Dai resort, it is Team South Africa who lead the Trophy after day two, with Team UK and Team Latin America rounding out the top three.
John Harris, Team South Africa: ”As a team we came together. We had one or two snags along the way but we didn't get upset about it. We stayed motivated, enjoyed it as a team and thoroughly enjoyed the day – that made the difference.”
Quelle: BMW Motorrad, Thilo Kozik