BMW Motorrad Southeast Asia recently hosted the BMW Motorrad GS Trophy Southeast Asia Qualifier 2015, a world-class adventure motorcycle rallye competition to select the representatives from Southeast Asia who will compete at the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2016 competition in Chiang Mai, Thailand next year.
BMW Motorrad has organised the International GS Trophy every two years since 2008 – an adventure rallye in which BMW GS riders from numerous countries around the world come together to engage in sporting competition not just on a motorcycle but in a wide range of other disciplines as well.
The event started with 5 teams in Tunisia in 2008 and has seen swift growth ever since. 10 teams participated in the second competition in southern Africa in 2010 and at the 3rd competition in Chile and Argentina in 2012, 15 teams took to the track on their GS bikes, while in the 4th competition in North America in 2014 there were as many as 16 national teams. In 2016, the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy will have 19 national teams representing their countries including a special team comprising of all women riders.
The BMW Motorrad GS Trophy Southeast Asia Qualifier 2015, meanwhile, were the qualifying rounds in which one winner from Thailand, Malaysia and a representative from the combined countries of Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia will be chosen to represent the Southeast Asian team at the competition next year.
Judged by a judging panel led by GS Trophy Icon and Organiser Tomm Wolf, the qualifiers tested riders on their riding skills and strategies to successfully complete a series of obstacles over a specially designed Enduro course. In the end, the winners of the BMW Motorrad GS Trophy Southeast Asia Qualifier 2015 were Mr. Peerapat Woratham from Thailand, Mr. Mohd Faizal Sukree from Malaysia (picture below) and Mr. Tommy Lee from Singapore.
Markus Glaeser, Head of BMW Motorrad Thailand said, “The BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy is a world-class off-road motorcycle challenge for Enduro enthusiasts and for the first time, the competition will be held in Asia next year.”
Echoing Glaeser’s sentiments, Owen Riley, Head of BMW Motorrad Malaysia said, “With the competition being held in Southeast Asia, we have the opportunity of fielding challengers from the region to pit their skills and capabilities against the 18 teams in the competition.”
Miguel Llabres-Pohl, Motorcycle Director Importers Region East Asia, meanwhile, said “The BMW GS Trophy will challenge our rider’s skill, their problem solving skills but most importantly their teamwork qualities.”
Held over the weekend of October 30th through to November 1, 2015, the competition was also organised in conjunction with the BMW Motorrad Days Thailand 2015 motorcycle festival.
The Malaysian competitors at the BMW Motorrad GS Trophy Southeast Asia Qualifier 2015 were Dr. Suhaimi Bin Said, Dato Hamzah Bin Mazlan, Eimran Ben Jettey, Khaizatul Akmar Binti Zabidin, Mohd Aswade Bin Ali and Mohd Faizal Bin Sukree.
