Beladen des Service-LKW. Teamfotos und Abfahrt in Mailand. Impressionen von der Überfahrt mit der Fähre von Genua nach Tunis. Erster Morgen in Tunis. Abfahrt der Teams.

Briefing zum Thema Fahren im Sand von Beppe Gualini. Fahrbilder in den Dünen Nahe der Oase Ksar Ghilane. Alexander Métayer / Team Germany: „Der Sand ist unglaublich tief. Und was letztendlich kaputt macht, ist die Helferei und Schieberei. Wenn man einiger­maßen durchkäme, würde es von der Kondition her langen. Aber so ist es wirklich saumäßig schwer.“ Tomm Wolff / Team Germany: „Wir haben leider mehr Zeit verbracht, die Fahrzeuge zu bergen und zu schieben. Der Sand ist unheimlich weich. Und der erste Kontakt ist wirklich sehr, sehr schwer. Aber wir werden üben und bis Ende der Veranstaltung sieht die Sache anders aus.“ Davide Nicoloso / Team Italy: "It is really nice, because the motorbike has got a lot of power. And so we can play with gas and can try to come out from the sand just playing with gas. It is very, very nice." Beppe Gualini: "It is the first picture. Ksar Ghilane, when I said to the guys: this is the first contact with the desert. Touch the desert. And in two minutes you found stock everywhere people and also afraid. It was done on purpose just to have a sign that the desert needs the respect."

Impressionen von der Oase und vom alten Fort nahe Ksar Ghilane. Briefing zur ersten Orientierungs-Prüfung. Beginn der ersten Prüfung. Tomm Wolf / Team Germany: „Das war jetzt unsere erste richtige Prüfung. Allerdings ohne Motorrad, zu Fuß, Navigationspunkte suchen. Und jetzt um 12 Uhr bei der höchsten Sonne, im tiefen Sand, zu Fuß, ist eine richtige Herausforderung. Aber so wie es aussieht, haben wir das super gemeistert.

Fahrbilder Off-road.

Impressionen vom Camp Nahe der großen Dünen von Tembain. Briefing und Wartungsarbeiten an den Motorrädern. Interview mit Beppe Gualini. Organisator GS Trophy. "We are in front of Tembain mountains and we set up a camp a few kilometres before in order to safe time, to keep more time for the driver to prepare the bike for the challenge. But we are keeping in maintain our program. It is not easy, it is hard, because the guys now start to be tired. The bikes also need more attention, because more maintenance, because they have more kilometres of hard, hard track. But they also have a super performance, because we don’t have any, any big mechanical problem. Just only ordinary maintenance. So it is important for us because we say in the start to arrive safe bike and man.

Impressionen vom Fahrtraining in den Dünen.

Impressionen von der Übung. Statements der Teilnehmer: Guido Bergmann / Team Germany: “Wir hatten Glück, waren die ersten heute morgen. Zwischen uns und den Amerikanern, die eigentlich schneller sind als wir, waren die Japaner. Die haben etwas die Piste verwühlt. Und deswegen haben wir gewonnen.” Jonathan Beck / Team USA: “I think the 20 second gap could have been made up if we had started first.” Jimmy Lewis / Team USA: “We had to start first yesterday and last today, so we’re not getting the luck of the draw on the cards, but hey we’re finishing and everything’s pretty cool. Now we get to go ride.” Beppe Gualini: “It was a big result for me because all the guys were happy, satisfied. We don’t have any accident and doing this in the sunrise at 6.30h in the morning was really amazing. And the dunes are really better because during the night they are getting wet and the sand get much stronger.” Tsutomu Matsu / Team Japan: “This morning I tried to push hard, but I had one previous stuck with him." "So my bike became a chocolate cake.”… "But I very enjoyed this morning, the sand dune riding. So the sun feels so good. And pretty good, very good location.”

Impressionen von der Übung. Statements der Teilnehmer: Jonathan Beck / Team USA: “We did good, we took first place. Our lead rider Jimmy Lewis ended up taking first for the Japanese team, got the fastest lap time, but we are fine, it’s fun.” David Borcha / Team Spain: “Today was a bad day. We can’t win always, of course. We had a problem in the third lap. It was impossible later. We were running so fast. But it was impossible.” Alex Medina: / Team Spain: “For me it is a bad day obviously. In the first challenge I lost so many time and now in the second also.” “We are a team!” Beppe Gualini / Organisator GS Trophy: “That was a long loop about 4.5km, where all the five countries start together and they have to change driver each loop. In total six loops. It was really interesting, really hard, because they were alone for the first time without team member. They have to sort it out between the dunes and the sand. But they have understood a lot in the first impact of the desert in Ksar Ghilane. And now they have done a really good job. They are really satisfied.”

Briefing zur Übung. Impressionen von der Übung.

Impressionen vom Fahren im Tiefsand. Claudio Brusa / BMW Italy: “Maybe I had to train 30 days ago to drive on the sand and starting 30 days after with all the other people. I did not have enough time to train. So my legs twisted when I fall into the fesh-fesh. I will follow the race from the car.”

Impressionen von der Übung. Bekanntgabe der Gewinner der Übung.

Impressionen von der Übung. Statement Beppe Gualini / Organisator GS Trophy: “You have seen the real GS Trophy spirit because first of all, all team members who were not driving, were on the location of the flag in order to give help to the other teams. And the team that did complete the challenge jumped around the track just to help the others. So it was really, really good for the team spirit.”

Impression nach Ende der Übung. Das spanische Team singt. Das japanische Team singt. Das italienische Team feiert mit Beppe Gualini. Das deutsche Team lässt sich in den Sand fallen. Gruppenbild vom gesamten Trophy-Team.

Bilder von der Wüste.

Impressionen vom Team und von der Bevölkerung Tunesiens.Folklore.

Bekanntgabe der Gewinner durch Beppe Gualini / Organisator GS Trophy. Gruppenbild mit allen Teilnehmern. Schlußwort von Beppe Gualini / Organisator GS Trophy. Statements der Teilnehmer: Jonathan Beck / Team USA: “It was amazing, it was great. Camping in the dunes is a very unique experience. Got a lot of sand riding again. Playing around on the beach, got to see some unique stuff, out of ‚Star wars’. A very unusual trip. It went well.” Jimmy Lewis / Team USA: “It wasn't just about speed because we had that pretty good. But it was about being safe and making sure that you got your whole team to the finish and did it in a good time as well. And then, of course, keeping the whole caravan moving. That was the other interesting part. Because the riding was difficult. I mean especially with the bikes in the sand. It was pretty tiring for a lot of the guys. It was trying for sure. You know, you saw it. It was a good time.” Ennio Bragagni / Team Italy: “The Trophy for me was a really exciting experience. Because it was the first time that I was in the desert and I appreciate the organisation of the GS Trophy. It was very simple to follow. It was the first time that it went into the desert. And I’m very happy, because I found very, very great friends, because everybody helps each other. And in this case I appreciate who is friend, who is not. You can test also the people that you are together, because it is very hard, it is a very new experience. So I’m very happy to take part. And I say thank you to BMW because that is one chance that happens once in a lifetime.” Tomm Wolf / Team Germany: „Ja, super, wir sind total happy. Wir haben den zweiten Platz gemacht, wir haben hart gekämpft, wir hatten ne super geile Truppe. Jetzt geht’s feiern und hoffen, dass es das bald wieder gibt.“ Dirk Remmel / Team Germany: „Ein sehr großes Erlebnis, kann man nur weiter empfehlen, ganz gigantisch wird es uns auch in Erinnerung bleiben, da bin ich mir sicher.“ Mikami Katsuhisa / Team Japan: “There are very good logistics, Beppe and Clemens, the mechanic. Everything is perfect. So I really enjoyed it. So next time I want to have this event in Japan.” Statement Beppe Gualini / Organisator GS Trophy: “When we announce the winner, in a few days they can never forget the sand and the desert. Now we say the desert fever they got it. This is the only thing that they will remember. And I’m sure in a short time they want to come back as soon as possible.” “For sure we have different skills between one group and the other one. For sure the Americans have a very high technical level. But they have also a really high level of team spirit, because it is also a philosophy of the Americans. But we have also wonderful teams like the Japanese team, the team with more technical problem, but they never want to stop, they want to go all the time ahead. And they have also more energy from the friend that was in the back. It was all time, that they have a team in the back just to give help. If you are in front of the dune and you are afraid, you are alone, you are lost. But if you are afraid and you have a friend you can go and overtake the difficulties.” “I think when we decide, the BMW management, to organize the Trophy our idea was to improve the country, because the more countries we have the more interesting it is, the more we open the world of our GS Trophy. So I hope in the next Trophy to have double the countries participating in the GS Trophy.” “I think in the first GS Trophy