Feb 28 to March 6 2016 – Southeast Asia, Chiang Mai, Thailand
BMW International GS Trophy competition
By CORY VILLENEUVE
What an experience! Adventure, foreign cultures, new
friendships, gravel, sand and dust make BMW Motorrad’s International GS Trophy an Enduro challenge that is second to none. International teams compete in intensive daily stages as well as numerous special challenges. The BMS GS qualifier and the
International GS Trophy happens every two years. If you have a BMW GS bike and you wish to compete, please see your local dealership for more information. In July of 2015 every competitor had to
compete at the Provincial level from their respective country. In order to form Team Canada, BMW took the top three drivers from the Province of Ontario and we were invited at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to compete nationally. Team Canada consist of three experienced, qualified, expert drivers. In August of 2015, Cory Villeneuve
from Ottawa was one of top three drivers for Team Canada that competed at the BMW International GS qualifier. I was delighted to win the BMW GS
qualifier at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The final stage of the competition is the GS Trophy held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, competing against 19 countries. The competition started on Feb. 28th and finished on March 6 2016. A map summary of our daily
challenges is below. The GS Trophy is definitely not an easy
challenge. I flew from Ottawa to Chiang Mai on a 21-hour flight. Upon arrival, we
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were invited by BMW Motorrad for our first evening at a 5 star hotel, where the BMW International GS Trophy ceremony was held. We had a wonderful evening, and we had the opportunity to meet the other countries. The next morning, we took a charter bus with our motorcycle gear and we were heading to Chiang Dao (in the mountains). At arrival, every competitor was assigned with their own R1200GS Trophy bike, and we were given the agenda and instructions of the competition. BMW Motorrad made every GS Bike
personalized for the driver. They added our name on the fender, with our blood type, as well the country flag where you came from. Classy! The media was present. We were interviewed by BMW, as well, each country team had a journalist riding with them. This is when I realized the competition was starting. On a daily basis every competitor had
to set up their tent, since we were heading to different destinations every day. The GS Trophy consisted of approximately 1400 kilometers in 7 days, which included mountain roads, off-road dirt riding, single dirt tracks, and, of course, on a paved road. From one minute to the other, we never knew what to expect during the competition. The competition was a rollercoaster
ride with incredibly challenging off-road riding on the BMW R1200GS bike that should have really been done on 250 cc Enduro bike. Team Canada rode hard and gave it their best shot in the special challenge
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