(DE)
Auf geht’s nach Osten…
Nachdem es die ersten vier Tage Richtung Westen und Süden ging, schlug die BMW Motorrad Int. GS Trophy heute das erste Mal auf „Thailand’s Golden Triangle“ den Weg Richtung Osten ein. In der brütenden Hitze ging es auf zermürbenden 270 km neun Stunden von Mae Sariang to Khun Tan. Die Strecke hielt verschiedene Herausforderungen bereit, für die die Teams wertvolle Punkte auf der Jagd nach dem Titel erhielten.
Zwei Tage im Biwak in Mae Sariang waren vorbei und nun ging es endlich wieder auf die Straße, zurück in die Zivilisation. Aber zuerst genossen die Fahrer das warme Frühstück, füllten ihre Trinkflaschen (mit mineralischen Zusätzen) auf und verstauten die Lunch-Pakete in den Reisetaschen.
Vorankommen stand auf der Tagesordnung, denn das Ziel wollten alle vor Sonnenuntergang erreichen – eine ganz schön knappe Sache. Die ersten Abschnitte konnten sie nur sehr langsam befahren, da sie einspurig waren und mitten durch den Dschungel führten. Hinzu kamen die steilen Abfahrten und schwierigen Steigungen auf der Strecke.
Wie an jedem Tag erkundeten die Fahrer auch heute die weit abgelegenen Regionen Thailands mit den traditionellen Stelzendörfern. Bei jeder Durchfahrt liefen Hunde, Hühner, Enten, Schweine und sogar Büffel wild durcheinander von dem Weg. Später wurde die Strecke offener, doch unnachgiebige Tonerde, Felsen und lose Steine machten das Fahren anspruchsvoll und ermüdend zugleich. Nach einer 4 Stunden langen Fahrt durch abgelegene Täler und an 1.500 Metern hohen Bergketten vorbei, hatten die Fahrer erst 85 Kilometer zurückgelegt.
Die erste Prüfung des Tages hieß „Big Buffalo“ – ein Staffelrennen. Bei dieser Herausforderung muss jeder Fahrer im Team so schnell wie möglich zum „Big Buffalo“, in einer scharfen Kurve um ihn herumfahren – natürlich ohne Berührung – und dann wieder zurück zur Startlinie. Nachdem alle Zeiten addiert wurden, war ein klarer Gewinner zu erkennen: Team Südafrika. Sie zeigten wie eine schmerzhafte Begegnung mit dem „Big Buffalo“, dem berühmten Wasserbüffel Thailands, zu vermeiden ist und hängten damit die Konkurrenz ab.
Weitere anspruchsvolle 100 Kilometer durch malerische Landschaften führten zur nächsten Prüfung am Eingang zum Obluang National Park. Hier wartete auf alle Teilnehmer eine Navigations-Übung, bei der jedes Team ein GPS-Gerät und einen Wegpunkt erhält. Wenn der erste Punkt richtig ins GPS-Gerät eingegeben wurde, führte dieser zum nächsten und so weiter. Jede richtige Eingabe wurde mit einem Buchstaben belohnt. Aus allen Buchstaben musste am Ende ein Wort gebildet werden, welches einem Marshal zur Überprüfung gegeben wurde. War dieses richtig, wurde die Zeit gestoppt.
Manche Teams hatten das Navigieren schon vor der Int. GS Trophy geübt und waren entsprechend schnell bei dieser Prüfung, während andere sich suchend den Kopf kratzten und durch das Gestrüpp robbten mit der Hoffnung auf einen Hinweis. Fitness spielte bei dieser Prüfung auch eine entscheidende Rolle, denn die Teilnehmer mussten in voller Motorrad-Montur bei mindestens 30°C einen abschüssigen und bewaldeten Hang hinauf und wieder herunter rennen. Das Team UK war das schnellste in dieser Prüfung und sicherte sich die Punkte.
Mit vollgefülltem Trinkrucksack starteten die Fahrer die nächsten 100 Kilometer bis zum Erreichen des Biwaks. Die Sonne war schon fast hinter den Bergen verschwunden, als die führende Gruppe im Lager eintraf, sodass die nachfolgenden Teams die Zelte mit Hilfe der Stirnlampen aufbauen mussten.
Vermutlich mit der größten Spannung wurde beim Abendessen das Ergebnis des zweiten Fotowettbewerbs erwartet. Hier konnten die Teams wertvolle Punkte abräumen, abhängig davon, wie erfolgreich sie ihre Fans zu Hause mit #gstrophy mobilisieren konnten. Unglaubliche 41.561 Stimmen wurden in dieser kurzen Zeit abgegeben. Der Newcomer, Team China, gewann den zweiten Fotowettbewerb: Mit 7.603 Bewertungen wählten die Fans ihr Bild auf den ersten Platz. Alle Fotos und Bewertungen können unter www.gstrophy.com angeschaut werden.
Natürlich wurden auch die Punkte des Tages verkündet, sichtbar wurde eine Beständigkeit in der Führung durch Südafrika, gefolgt von Deutschland und UK, wenn auch nur mit geringem Abstand. In der Int. GS Trophy 2016 ist also noch alles möglich. Mit zwei weiteren Tagen voller Herausforderungen hat jedes Team noch die Chance den Titel nach Hause zu holen. Am Ende wird das Team gewinnen, das unter Druck einen kühlen Kopf bewahrt.
Die Ergebnisse von Tag 5 der Int. GS Trophy 2016:
1 Südafrika - 214
2 Deutschland - 200
3 UK - 194
4 Lateinamerika - 190
5 China - 187
6 CEEU - 178
7 Brasilien - 177
8 USA - 163
9 Mexiko - 147
10 Argentinien - 144
11 Frankreich - 141
12 Russland - 138
13 Italien - 133
14 Kanada - 126
15 Südkorea - 120
16 Südostasien - 101
17 Japan - 94
18 Internationales Frauenteam - 89
19 Alps - 83
(EN)
The Trophy turns east...
After four days of travelling predominantly west and south on its seven day loop of Thailand's Golden Triangle region, the 2016 BMW Motorrad Int. GS Trophy headed in an easterly direction for the first time today, with a gruelling 270 km, nine-hour, ride from Mae Sariang to Khun Tan in scorching temperatures, interspersed with the usual series of Special stages to keep participants in the hunt for precious points.
After two days bivouaced at Mae Sariang, it was back to life on the road today with the riders striking camp early, enjoying a hot breakfast, filling their hydration systems to the brim with water (with mineral additives) and then grabbing a lunch bag to stow in their tail packs. With a long day's ride ahead, it was vital to put some kilometres behind them while the sun was still low in the sky.
Making progress was the order of the day if the finish was to be reached before sundown – and it was a close-run thing. Early trails were slow, technical single-track through a proverbial jungle, with precipitous descents and tricky climbs.
As with every day, the riders were exploring remote regions, repeatedly passing traditional stilt-house villages, every ride-through creating a mayhem of scattering dogs, chickens, ducks, pigs – and even buffalo. A centuries-old canvas. Later the trail became more open, but hard-pack clay riven with washouts, rocks and dusted with loose stone made the riding both exacting and tiring. Hour after hour this continued, through remote valleys and along the ridges of 1500m mountains with only the special tests to break the never-ending effort.
After 85 kilometres – but four hours of riding – the competitors arrived at the first Special of the day – 'big buffalo' – a relay exercise where each team rider needed to ride fast and then make a sharp turn (to avoid the buffalo of course!) before returning to the start line to tag their team-mate. When the times were added up, Team South Africa were clear winners and showed the rest of the competitors exactly how to avoid a painful encounter with the famous Thai water buffaloes.
Another 100 kilometres of scenic, but tough riding led to the next test situated at the entrance to the Obluang National Park. This was a navigation test, where the teams were given a GPS unit and a waypoint. If entered into the GPS correctly, this led to another waypoint, each waypoint rewarded by a letter – and the next waypoint destination. When the teams had located all waypoints and collected all letters, they could then join the letters together to form the word to give to the marshal – proof they'd correctly found all waypoints – and the clock could then be stopped.
The teams that had practised navigation exercises in advance were quick to complete this Special, while some of the others could be seen scratching their heads and searching the undergrowth for vital clues. Fitness played a part, too, because running around a steep, wooded valley in full riding gear in temperatures in the high 30s certainly took its toll. Not so for Team UK, who were the quickest in this information gathering exercise.
After again filling their hydration packs to the brim, the riders set off again, as they still had another 100 kilometres to go until arriving at the bivouac. The sun had descended behind the mountains as the leading group of riders rolled up to camp, while the later arrivals needed their head-torches in order to pitch their tents.
Perhaps the most eagerly-awaited announcement at dinner was the results of the second photo competition, where precious points were 'up for grabs' depending on how successfully the teams had engaged with their communities, following the #gstrophy from back home. A massive 41,561 votes were cast in the short window of opportunity, with newcomers Team China winning the second competition with an impressive 7,603 fans rating their picture as the favourite. All photos and votes can be viewed at www.gstrophy.com
Of course, the points of the day were also announced and showing studied consistency, it is South Africa who still lead the way over Germany and the UK, although with only 27 points separating the top five, the 2016 GS Trophy is still very much there for the taking. With two days of competition remaining, the teams that keep a cool head under pressure have a real chance to take the title back home with them.
After two days bivouaced at Mae Sariang, it was back to life on the road today with the riders striking camp early, enjoying a hot breakfast, filling their hydration systems to the brim with water (with mineral additives) and then grabbing a lunch bag to stow in their tail packs. With a long day's ride ahead, it was vital to put some kilometres behind them while the sun was still low in the sky.
Making progress was the order of the day if the finish was to be reached before sundown – and it was a close-run thing. Early trails were slow, technical single-track through a proverbial jungle, with precipitous descents and tricky climbs.
As with every day, the riders were exploring remote regions, repeatedly passing traditional stilt-house villages, every ride-through creating a mayhem of scattering dogs, chickens, ducks, pigs – and even buffalo. A centuries-old canvas. Later the trail became more open, but hard-pack clay riven with washouts, rocks and dusted with loose stone made the riding both exacting and tiring. Hour after hour this continued, through remote valleys and along the ridges of 1500m mountains with only the special tests to break the never-ending effort.
After 85 kilometres – but four hours of riding – the competitors arrived at the first Special of the day – 'big buffalo' – a relay exercise where each team rider needed to ride fast and then make a sharp turn (to avoid the buffalo of course!) before returning to the start line to tag their team-mate. When the times were added up, Team South Africa were clear winners and showed the rest of the competitors exactly how to avoid a painful encounter with the famous Thai water buffaloes.
Another 100 kilometres of scenic, but tough riding led to the next test situated at the entrance to the Obluang National Park. This was a navigation test, where the teams were given a GPS unit and a waypoint. If entered into the GPS correctly, this led to another waypoint, each waypoint rewarded by a letter – and the next waypoint destination. When the teams had located all waypoints and collected all letters, they could then join the letters together to form the word to give to the marshal – proof they'd correctly found all waypoints – and the clock could then be stopped.
The teams that had practised navigation exercises in advance were quick to complete this Special, while some of the others could be seen scratching their heads and searching the undergrowth for vital clues. Fitness played a part, too, because running around a steep, wooded valley in full riding gear in temperatures in the high 30s certainly took its toll. Not so for Team UK, who were the quickest in this information gathering exercise.
After again filling their hydration packs to the brim, the riders set off again, as they still had another 100 kilometres to go until arriving at the bivouac. The sun had descended behind the mountains as the leading group of riders rolled up to camp, while the later arrivals needed their head-torches in order to pitch their tents.
Perhaps the most eagerly-awaited announcement at dinner was the results of the second photo competition, where precious points were 'up for grabs' depending on how successfully the teams had engaged with their communities, following the #gstrophy from back home. A massive 41,561 votes were cast in the short window of opportunity, with newcomers Team China winning the second competition with an impressive 7,603 fans rating their picture as the favourite. All photos and votes can be viewed at www.gstrophy.com
Of course, the points of the day were also announced and showing studied consistency, it is South Africa who still lead the way over Germany and the UK, although with only 27 points separating the top five, the 2016 GS Trophy is still very much there for the taking. With two days of competition remaining, the teams that keep a cool head under pressure have a real chance to take the title back home with them.
Quelle: BMW Motorrad, Thilo Kozik