GS Trophy: Day 2 means it’s time to vote Team USA up the charts!
VOTE TEAM USA UP THE CHARTS!! Watch the videos and vote for your favorite to push your team up the rankings! Voting is open until 6 PM Eastern US time on Tuesday, 6 September 2022. VOTE NOW!
The members of Team USA woke on top of a mountain—below a castle—ready to tackle Day Two of the 2022 International GS Trophy. The day started out easier than the first morning, as the team did not have to load all the riders’ bags into the gear transport truck. However, they would have plenty of challenges to face, including three Special Challenges and about 165 kilometers of riding.
Before the teams even left Berat Castle, they were thrown into their first challenge: the Metzler Tire Mount Start. Teams had to mount a front wheel on a bike, including making sure the tire pressure was correct.
Once the first challenge was completed, teams mounted up to ride for the next few hours. Today, Team USA rode with Team Germany—don’t forget at the end of Day One, they were tied for 7th place—and were led by veteran GS Trophy Marshal Jenny Huntley.
Competitors next descended into a valley in Gramsch to take on the Akropovich Challenge. Riders navigated tight, off-camber maneuvers, getting through all gates before dropping down to an open, flatter area. Weaving around three Akropovich flags, riders had a chance to open it up and get a little drifting in before turning back to the steep uphill and off-camber exit gates. All three riders rode the course at the same time with a five-second staggered start. The course was timed and points were deducted for cones, dabs and drops.
Lunch followed the second challenge at Bio Farm Gramsch, a beautiful tourist resort widely known and loved by nature afficionados and Jeep clubs. When the teams finished with lunch and a little break, they set off for the second half of their day, gaining BMW Motorrad Brand Ambassador Shawn Thomas for the rest of the ride towards Lake Ohrid.
Competitors set up their tents, then completed the third Special Challenge of the day—the BMW Motorrad Quiz—next to one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes. Next came dinner and anxiously waiting for the results of the day. The chief marshals for the event, EnduroPark Andalusia’s Tom Weinmeyr and Chris Zimmerman, announced the scoring for the first two Special Challenges. BMW’s Christian Pingitzer, who has been with the GS Trophy since its beginning, announced the winners for the day—Thailand’s men and France’s women—and the overall leaders for the competition thus far—Thailand’s men and Germany’s women!
Team USA were 13th in the Tire Mount Challenge and 8th in the Akropovic Challenge, finishing 12th for the day. Overall, the team stands at 10th place on the leaderboard tonight. Moving down three spots was not the direction they wanted to go, but they still have five days of competition left. Remember, video challenge scoring is happening until 6:00 PM Eastern US time on Tuesday, September 6. Vote and help the team win valuable points!
