GS Trophy 2024 Namibia Day 2 Recap

Spitzkoppe, Namibia – The place where adventurers come for the terrain and stay for the scenic punishment.

There's a particular kind of joy that comes with waking up in the middle of Namibia. It's the kind of joy that can only be experienced when you're groggily shaking sand out of your boots, listening to a herd of GS motorcycles growl to life, and wondering if the lions you heard last night were real or just your stomach protesting from all the biltong.

The weather report for today? Sunny with a chance of grit in your teeth, fluctuating between "pleasant morning chill" at 12°C and "grill-you-alive heat" at 29°C. Riders kicked off Day 2 with the full Namibian buffet of dust, rocks, and deep sand, all while attempting to avoid becoming part of the landscape.

The Morning Grind: Sand Traps and Giraffes

The day started with a heart-pounding 184 km trek from Ai Aiba to Spitzkoppe, where our riders were greeted by every off-road nightmare you can imagine. Ai Aiba, located in the middle of a 5,000-hectare game reserve, had the riders dodging wildlife as if they were in a high-speed safari. Dodging giraffes, now that’s a twist.

And, because this is the GS Trophy, the first special challenge of the day, The Flying Boxer, involved something that can only be described as "real-world physics but make it extreme." Riders had to yank their motorcycles across a gap, defying gravity and logic, all while trying not to drop their bikes into a pit of doom. Sunghee Kim from Team South Korea summed it up perfectly: "We used our weight... and it worked." Yes, when in doubt, just throw yourself at the problem.

The Rock Challenge: Timing is Everything

After successfully surviving the first challenge without anyone catapulting themselves off a cliff (or at least keeping it to a minimum), the riders trudged onward through the Namibian dust bowl to the second challenge of the day, The SENA Rock Challenge. This was essentially a test of "how many riders can fit on a granite rock before someone cracks under pressure." Teams had to complete laps on their bikes and attempt to match their times without any clocks—because using timepieces would be too easy.

Steven Ferguson from Team UK confessed that his strategy involved one rider doing all the counting. A plan so simple it might actually work. Spoiler: it did.

Spitzkoppe: Namibia's Matterhorn, but with More Heatstroke

By lunchtime, our brave adventurers had reached Spitzkoppe, a massive granite monolith that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie but with less CGI and more sweat. The afternoon ride to this natural marvel was 100% off-road, giving the riders a variety of obstacles to navigate, like rocky outcrops, riverbeds, and the occasional "oh no, we're lost again."

Upon arrival, riders finally got a chance to take in the stunning scenery. Or at least, they would have, if they weren't busy refueling and trying not to collapse from exhaustion. Spitzkoppe is not just famous for its rocks, but also for ancient rock art. Not that anyone had the energy to appreciate that today.

Wrapping Up: Who’s Leading?

At the end of this dusty, grueling day, the scoreboard looked like this:

Male Teams:

1. South Africa – Still bossing the leaderboard with 70 points.

2. Germany, 65

3. International Team, 54

4. China, 52

5. Benelux, 47

6. Brazil, 44

7. Italy, 36

8. Latin America, 32

9. South Korea, 31

10. Mexico, 29

11. India, 25

12. Middle East, Africa, 23

13. Japan, 21

14. UK, 20

15. France, 19

16. USA, 18

Female Teams:

1. Germany and Japan – Neck and neck with 71 points each.

2. Benelux – Hanging in there with 62 points.

Meanwhile, the USA is apparently still sightseeing, trailing with a solid 18 points.

Final Thoughts: Day 2 in Namibia was a test of endurance, skill, and how many times you can taste sand before you stop caring. Riders battled through unforgiving terrain, with moments of camaraderie, helping each other out of tight spots, proving once again that the GS Trophy isn’t just about speed; it’s about grit. And maybe a little bit of insanity.