While the exact route was a closely guarded
secret, we know the Trophy started in Rotorua
while Queenstown provides the finish line.
Some 60% of the route was made up of off-road
conditions, while the remaining 40%, although
sealed, took in some of the remote and brilliantly
twisty roads NZ we know and love, with teams
taking part in special stages along the way.
In total, 22 teams from around the globe landed
in Rotorua for the start of the International GS
Trophy including riders from Australia, Argentina,
China, the USA and United Kingdom with an all-
female team and regional teams representing
the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia
included as well.
In addition to shipping the teams here, BMW
Motorrad also provided 140 bespoke F850GS
models, which were specially built for the Trophy
in Germany, an increase of 26 bikes over the
last event in 2018, with each bike in an exclusive
specification just for the International GS Trophy.
All 140 bikes are identical in keeping with the
competition aspect of the GS Trophy, with each
adorned in its own one-off black and yellow colour
KIWI RIDER 15