On Monday, October 13, Hendry, Stoddard and Adams will board separate flights to Milan, Italy, where they will join fellow GS competitors from Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan. On October 15, the riders and their identically prepared BMW F 800 GS motorcycles will travel by ferry from Genoa to Tunisia for the start of the "Survivor-style" competition in the Tunisian desert on October 16.
Fortunately, the Tunisia Three love to camp.
"I always look forward to camping," says Hendry. "When I'm not racing, I'm camping. So this will be like a holiday for me."
"My wife, Lisa, and I motorcycle camp all the time," adds Stoddard.
"It's just that this time, I'll be doing it without our queen-size air mattress. I'm also really looking forward to the scenery in the desert."
"I would rather rough it and have this be an adventure." echoes Jason.
BMW Motorrad has provided each rider with an equipment bag, tent, sleeping bag, camping mat, headlamp, hydration pack, compass and Rallye Pro Suit. Competitors were asked to bring helmets, gloves, boots, goggles, sport shoes, tracksuit, fleece jacket, swim suits, sandals, suntan lotion, sunglasses, energy bars and mineral drinks, camping utensils, travel pillow, towels and personal hygiene items.Riders, relatives and friends from home can follow the adventures of the Tunisia Three by reading their blogs posted on www.bmwmotorcycles.com.
The GS Trophy
The GS Trophy is not a race, but a lengthy and challenging ride, both on- and off-road, through the rugged countryside of Tunisia on new BMW F 800 GS bikes adapted by Touretech and Metzeler. The competition will include numerous tests in individual riding skills and group teamwork to overcome natural and manmade obstacles. Routes will be announced at the last minute, allowing competitors to demonstrate their navigation skills and team spirit - characteristics which make competent enduro riders. Each machine has had a selection of Touratech parts added, all designed to protect the machine - and rider - from the African conditions.
"Many of the parts we've adding give increased protection against the conditions riders will face out in Africa," said Herbert Schwarz, Executive Director or Touratech. "For each bike, we've added crash bars, a skid plate, installed small LED blinkers, foot-pegs with additional grip, foldable brake and gear change levers, hand protectors, and cross-brace protection pads for the handlebars."
"We've added a modification to the front fender to raise it by 3cm because of the extra ground clearance that will be needed on certain terrain in Tunisia," Schwarz added. "We've also installed a headlight protection grill, a special protector against stones for the radiator, and a chain guard. Other little 'extras' include a tail rack that a small bag attaches to for everyday necessities, and all bikes are being fitted with Metzeler Karoo off-road tires, which are perfect for the conditions participants will encounter."
Schwarz is keen to stress that there have been no engine modifications whatsoever carried out on the F 800 GS machines, and that the majority of the work has been carried out to minimize the effects of crash damage, as he is expecting riders to drop the bikes on a regular basis due to the competitive nature of the event and the diversity of riding terrain on the courses.