The International GS Trophy 2024
Skill, endurance, teamwork, and pure #SpiritofGS: That’s what it took to succeed in this year’s GS Trophy. From the 15th to 20th of September, 22 teams took on the challenge over a total distance of 1,300 km. But not just anywhere. In its 9th edition, the GS Trophy returned to the place where everything began – to Africa. In Namibia, participants faced a challenging mix of unending savannahs, impressive sandy river beds, and rocky trails. Everything you need for the adventure of a lifetime!
Highlights
The best of the best
To be able to have a chance at landing one of the highly contested places at the prestigious GS Trophy, the participants had to prove their skills in the tough national qualifiers. Additionally, an international qualifier was held for the first time, enabling riders without their own national team to take part, thereby ensuring that all of the best riders in the world were recruited. Even though every one of them wanted to take home the win, there was no competitive hostility on display anywhere, be it on or off the track. Instead, all of the competitors behaved in a cooperative and cohesive way. Lifelong friendships and memories were made.
The ultimate off-road experience
The ultimate off-road experience
Our participants had to overcome more than just the racecourse. Over the six days, there were 15 additional challenges where riders could earn points for the overall rankings. There, they had to demonstrate their riding skills, agility, tactics, and technical understanding, while working harmoniously as a team. The German men’s team and International women’s team in particular displayed impressive performances, securing them each a win in their respective classes.
It’s a dream come true to be able to be here, be a part of this incredible event, and win with my team-mates at my side, who have become like family to me.
"Christopher Michi
Winner on the German men’s team
Images that speak for themselves
In addition to the spectacular challenges on the bike, the teams also took part in two photo challenges. This resulted in some unique action shots that capture the emotions and the #SpiritofGS in a truly impressive way.
Photo Challenge 1
Photo Challenge 2
Endless gratitude
Endless gratitude
While we are still enjoying the impressions from the GS Trophy 2024 and warmly reminisce about the memories from this unforgettable event, we wish to take this opportunity to thank all of the participants, supporters, partners, and of course, the host country of Namibia. Without this incomparable collaboration and the passion that each individual has invested, there would be no GS Trophy. Thank you very much!
Our Team for South Africa
They have been preparing for this event for a long time – and training hard. And it’s all paid off. Introducing: our men’s team for South Africa! These talented bikers have managed to beat the competition in the national qualifiers thanks to their impressive skills. That means a definite entry to the Int. GS Trophy 2024 for Marthinus, Jean Pierre, and Ruhan. But, of course, the three bikers still have plenty of time to enjoy the excitement – and continue preparing for the once-in-a-lifetime event in Namibia. Get to know the three men a little bit better here.
Marthinus van Rooyen
24-Year-old Marthinus from Gauteng works for a company specialised in industrial fridges. He’s been riding motorcycles for a long time – he even rode a bike to school. At some point, his thirst for adventure overcame him, and he took a trip to Lesotho. His tour guide gave him the idea to participate in the Int. GS Trophy.
Jean Pierre Boer
Jean Pierre is 27 years old and comes from Pretoria. The company founder comes from a motorcycling family, and has had an interest in bikes since childhood. At the age of 18, his mother gave him his first motorcycle so that he could run errands and get by in his day-to-day life with more flexibility. Soon after, Jean Pierre realised that he wanted to experience more of the world, and his tours became longer and longer. Not long after that, he bought his first R 1200 GS.
Ruhan De Villiers
Motorcycles have always been important to Ruhan, who works as a financial advisor in Western Cape Langebaan. The 48-year-old has always enjoyed off-road riding most of all, and he likes to ride motorbikes with his wife. So it’s no wonder that he’s been following the events of the Int. GS Trophy for some years now.
