Smithy1 > Smithy1's Blog Posts > GS Trophy - Tunisia, the failed attempt to make the team!
August 11, 2008 15:40
GS Trophy - Tunisia, the failed attempt to make the team!OK, I did not even make the first cut but thought that I would share some of the application that I submitted…
Why I Love the GS and Want to Join Team USA for the GS Trophy
Describe why you love to ride the GS—and if you agree that it’s the “Best Bike in the World” *
April 2006 I took delivery of my local BMW dealer’s first GSA1200. This would be my first BMW, but not my last! This bike begged to bridge the gap between my 30-year love for off-road riding and touring 2-up with my wife. I soon found myself exploring every rural gravel road that I could find! These gravel roads quickly progressed to jeep trails, ATV double track, and the endless sand trails of the New Jersey Pine Barrons. The GSA1200 is truly capable of going places well off the main road. The GSA1200 tackles the terrain/obstacles much like a Jeep ascends the Rubicon trail!
After literally thousands of off-road miles in the southern NJ, I was in the position to help organize the first XPLOR event (April 2007) – “XPLOR the Pines”. I was given the task of weeks of pre-riding the trails and finally leading a group of enthusiastic “Intermediate” riders on game day. Good fun! I then attended the (June 2007) XPLOR the Adirondacks event. I was also fortunate to be one of the organizers for the (June 2008) XPLOR the Blue Ridge. All the riding I did for all these XPLOR events was exclusively on my BMW GSA1200.
I had pushed the GSA1200 to its limit, but I was not pushed to my limit. This led me to purchase a G650 Xchallenge in June 2007. What an incredibly capable woods bike! My first stop with the Xchallenge was the ECEA Enduro Series. The ECEA series in dominated by 250cc 2-stroke competition bikes. Signing up and being competitive on a 650cc BMW “dual sport” bike turns a lot of heads! I continued with the ECEA Enduro Serious accumulating several top 5 place finishes (including two 2nd in class finishes) and gaining enough points to advance to the next class within 6 events.
I campaigned the G650 Xchallenge in the September 2007 NASA Rallysport Rallymoto Black River Stages in Harrisville, NY taking 1st in class and 4th overall. I also competed in the February 2008 NASA Rallysport Rallymoto Sandblast rally on the G650 Xchallenge taking another 1st in class and 3rd overall. I was the top BMW at both events.
July 2008 took me to the RallyConnex Paris to Dacre (Ontario, Canada), a one day 500 mile dual sport challenge designed to honor and mimic the achievements of the competitors of the real DAKAR rally in Europe and Africa. I arrived at the Dacre finish line 16-1/2 hours after leaving Dacre on the G650 Xchallenge. I was with the 3rd group to reach the finish line!
August 2008 will be a huge highlight of this year for me when I compete in the BITD series Vegas to Reno race. This is a 500-mile “Baja-style” single day desert race that includes bikes, quads, buggies and trucks! I am entering in the Ironman-Amateur class on the G650 Xchallenge.
Describe what you can bring to the Team to help the USA bring home the GS Trophy:
My calm demeanor, smooth riding style and never give up determination will make me a very valuable member of the USA GS Trophy Team. Being efficient in maintaining and modifying my own motorcycles allows me to overcome mechanical stumbling blocks while out on the trail. I have also spent the last 6+ months preparing myself for the BITD Vegas to Reno race by running during the week and riding tough technical enduro trails every weekend. At 36 years old, I am currently in the best physical shape and riding skill level of my life!
I have often dreamed about the opportunity to compete in a North African rally and lust after the Dakar style rally bikes. I love the bikes and the Dakar rally so much that I have begun transforming my BMW G650 Xchallenge into a rally bike adjusted to my North American needs. My rally conversion includes a custom carbon-fiber fairing, HID lighting, forward mounted roadbook, and auxiliary fuel tank. All of these modifications take place in my home shop. (Pictures posted here: http://www.bmwxplor.com/galleries/show/1863)
Relaying my “motorcycle adventure” experiences to others via the web is also something that I routinely do. Here is an excerpt from my report on the 2008 NASA Rallysport Sandblast Rally (currently posted at my XPLOR blog – http://www.bmwxplor.com/riders/smithy1/blog/list) Sandblast 2008 part 3:
“Finally the course is cleared and we are given our start times at 30 second intervals. Show time. I start 3 minutes out of key time with 5 riders in front of me. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1. Pin the throttle hard against the stop as I dump the clutch. Slight left turn, then a few more easy curves come up.
The terrain is similar to the pine barons, but different. Rolling hills – none of these in south jersey. Forest appears to be maintained/cleared. No brush or alders between the trees. Visibility is pretty good through the woods. Pine needles completely cover the road in a lot of areas eliminating my ability to “read” the road. Bikes run before the cars so there are no real tracks to follow in the sand with only 5 bikes ahead of me. It takes me a little while to get a feel for the terrain. My plan of attack at Black River and now at Sandblast was to stay on the gas coming into the turn until the last possible moment and then hold on another second or two, then brake hard – lean the bike into the turn – peg the throttle – repeat. Sounds good but tends to get me into a few “situations”. This special (Cambell Lake) is a little over 14 miles long. It does feel good to get around the first turn, away from the other riders, volunteers, spectators. Just the bike, the road and me. No one else is in sight…”
All these skills and many more make me uniquely qualified to help the USA GS Trophy Team finish as the top team in the world. You can see some more pictures and blogs at my XPLOR home page: http://www.bmwxplor.com/riders/smithy1.
Tags
Rate this post
Rating: 5.0/5 (1 votes cast)
Aug 12, 2008 - Hey Smithy
Aug 13, 2008 -
Aug 13, 2008 -