The Road to Tunisia - The Selection Process
The road to Tunisia began in June when all BMW GS and G 650 Xchallenge owners were invited to apply for an opportunity to represent Team USA against teams from Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain in the international competition, October 15-24. Nearly 100 riders made the first stage of the application process to be considered for Team USA.
"In a country as big as the U.S., a single GS challenge/elimination for scores of riders would have been impractical," said Laurence Kuykendall, Community & Communications Manager for BMW Motorrad USA. "So, unlike other markets, we relied on a 'paper process' to start. Next year, we will probably have more regional challenges to initiate the selection process."
Five equally weighed criteria were used in selecting 20 semi-finalists from the initial pool of 96 applicants: Riding skill (the obvious skill for which all markets are testing); Experience, including competition (amateur, XPLOR GS, AMA Adv. Series, rallies etc.); Fitness (physical and mental); Ambassador (the ability and track record of getting the word out); and Teamwork (demonstrated ability to work well with others). All 96 original applicants were graded with 5 points for each criterion by four judges within BMW and Husqvarna Motorcycles NA, LLC for a total of 100 points possible per person. The top 20 point recipients were then further reviewed and judged by the references they provided.
The 20 successful riders were informed separately that they had advanced to the next round, while the 76 who didn't 'make the cut' received a gift from BMW Motorrad to say thanks for participating and to encourage them to try again in 2009. The 20 International GS Trophy semi-finalists that remained were then subjected to further tests to determine a final shortlist. The six chosen riders were then invited at BMW's expense to participate in further testing at the BMW Performance Center, in Spartanburg, SC, on August 28.
In Spartanburg, seven judges evaluated the riding, leadership and teamwork skills of the six riders in a series of grueling challenges aboard equally prepared BMW R 1200 GS and G 650 Xchallenge motorcycles. Competitors navigated an offset slalom course, circle drill, controlled ascents and descents, an uphill slalom, sand recovery, sand relay, team trail challenge, a barrel race and high speed maneuvering drills.
This final test determined which of the "Spartanburg Six" (as they have become known) would become the "Tunisia Three" who would go on to represent the United States in the International GS Trophy in October. As Kuykendall stated, "just getting down to the final six riders was an extremely difficult task for his team."
"We've not only had many excellent riders to chose from, but the criteria was complex too, including not only riding ability and experience, but more intangible qualities like teamwork, personality, physical and psychological fitness, and the capability to spread the BMW faith. It would have been equally easy to end up with six other, equally deserving names, as the standard was so high, but as a consolation, there is always next year, when we will require new riders for the 2009 GS Trophy - wherever it might be!"
"The real point of the GS Challenge is to have real BMW riders in a "Survivor-style" environment," Kuykendall summed up. "In the end, it's the same kind of adventure that any BMW GS owner can indulge in. If you own a GS, you can do this for yourself!"
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models, X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sport Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 83 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:
www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorcycles.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com