Canada fourth in GS Trophy

From BMW Motorrad

MILLWANE GAME RESERVE, SWAZILAND -- The competition for the GS Trophy hotted up dramatically on Tuesday as the 10 teams fought their way through four special tests while completing a 280km course.

Team UK was in resurgent form. A mistake in Monday’s navigation test had cost it dear, leaving the team in sixth place, but winning two of Tuesday’s tests and taking third in another took them to the day win. Their impressive 44-point haul also leapfrogged them into the overall lead just ahead of Day One winners South Africa, with Germany in third.

"We had a good day, we got our act together," said Team UK's Alistair Allan. "We took our time, thought about the tests, didn’t go rushing into stuff, and did what we are supposed to do. Day one we had a bit of a downer so we had a team talk and decided we’d come out fighting today, and we’ll fight to the end."

After Monday’s mist and rain, the competitors revelled in clear skies and comfortable temperatures, around 23ºC. With a 7:15 start time the teams rode to the Jan Randall’s Tractor Museum for two non-riding special tests. The first was a tractor pull, the second a matter of weaving a tractor wheel through cones. In the afternoon, once across the border into Swaziland, there were two riding tests, the first a crossing of a mud bog, the second a river crossing.

The course itself was very different to the first day, with much of the journey following narrower red-soil tracks that weaved and undulated with the pine-clad Swaziland hills.

Team Nordic joined Team UK with two wins on Tuesday, in the tractor pull and mud crossing. But in the other two tests they were contrastingly bottom of the table.

The competitors have been delighted by the reception they’ve received from the locals wherever they travel. Taking time out and sharing a few moments with the ever-inquisitive children – and adults – has been all part of the GS Trophy experience. But their reception at the South Africa – Swaziland border was a revelation as the riders shared jokes and posed for countless photographs with the border guards.

Special test results
ST2/Tractor pull: 1, Team Nordic; 2, Team Canada; 3, Team Spain
ST3/Bulldog tire: 1, Team UK; 2, Team Spain; 3, Team South Africa
ST4/Mud crossing: 1, Team Nordic; 2, Team UK; 3, Team Canada
ST5/River crossing: 1, Team UK; 2, Team Germany; 3, Team Canada

Overall standings after Day 3
1. UK 49pts
2. South Africa 41
3. Germany 39
4. Canada 38
5. Spain 33
6. Nordic 31
7. USA 27
8. Italy 20
9. Alps 17
10. Japan 8