The venue of the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2024 has been decided: this time the off-road adventure will take place in Namibia. Having been held on all continents around the globe, the International GS Trophy now returns in 2024 to where it all began in 2008 – Africa.
Namibia’s fascinating attractions include magnificent landscapes as well as unique flora and fauna. When night falls after a hot day has drawn to a close with a deep red sunset, a spectacular starry sky stretches out over this paradise located on the Atlantic coast of southwestern Africa. In short, the journey into fascinating Namibia will be an entirely unique experience in many respects – well-seasoned with a good portion of SpiritOfGS.
National qualifying rounds
There is still some time to go before the official start of the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2024, however. Meanwhile, the national qualifying rounds offer a foretaste of what is to come. There will be 15 national qualifying events and one international qualifying round worldwide, giving skilled endurance specialists to demonstrate their capabilities.
In order to secure a place on one of the national teams, participants are required to perform GPS navigation exercises, off-road rides, and technical tests. The women’s teams that prevail at national-level will win a trip to the international female qualifying round, where a total of six women’s teams will be selected for the much-coveted seats on the plane to Namibia, along with the 16 men’s teams.
32 countries, 1 GS Trophy
To date, 32 countries have confirmed their respective qualifying rounds. These are: Brazil, BeNeLux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg), China, Germany, France, Italy, India, Japan, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Columbia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico, UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, USA and UK.
About the GS Trophy
The BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy is an event that celebrates the spirit of the legendary BMW Motorrad GS models. It encompasses everything that a BMW GS stands for: riding fun, adventure and challenges. The BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2024 Namibia is the ninth edition of the event. Previous editions were held in South Eastern Europe (Albania) in 2022, Oceania (New Zealand) in 2020, Central Asia (Mongolia) in 2018, Southeast Asia (Thailand) in 2016, North America (Canada) in 2014, South America (Chile, Argentina) in 2012, South Africa (South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique) in 2010 and North Africa (Tunisia) in 2008. The current event will involve 22 teams from all over the world with a total of 60 riders. Others involved include the GS Trophy marshals, media representatives, doctors, sponsors and a photo and film crew.
The BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy is not a race: it is a team competition in which an international contingent of off-road enthusiasts compete against each other in various special tests. Not all of these involve just motorcycling: skills and teamwork are essential, too. Since competitors are together for a lot of the time, also spending the night in bivouacs, this is an adventure that promotes a sense of togetherness, too. People, cultures and motorcyclists from all over the world come together, and it is not uncommon for friendships to be made for life.
Based on the experience of past GS Trophy events, the most successful teams are ultimately those that demonstrate solid preparation, excellent teamwork and riding ability, while at the same time having a lot of fun and experiencing wonderful international camaraderie.
