Team Germany and Team Europe win the tenth BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy in Romania
After six days and around 1,500 kilometres through the Romanian Carpathians, Team Germany won the men's competition with 203 points and Team Europe the women's with 200 at the tenth GS Trophy.
- around 1,500 kilometres
- six days
- 203 points (Team Germany)
- 200 points (Team Europe)
What Happened
The tenth BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy was decided in Colțești, Romania, after six days of riding and around 1,500 kilometres through the Romanian Carpathians. Team Germany (Fabi Fenner, Norman Pleissner, Flo Thomann) won the men's competition with 203 points, while Team Europe (Chrissie Harcourt, Anja Filak) prevailed in the women's competition with 200 points. BMW Motorrad says the anniversary edition went farther, higher and was more technical than ever before, across narrow forest trails, washed-out mountain paths, riverbeds and historic high-altitude routes. The event stayed true to what defines the GS Trophy: a shared adventure in which team spirit, precision, endurance and mutual support matter more than outright speed.
The outcome was decided only in the final challenge. Ahead of the last day, just two points separated Team International and Team Europe in the women's competition, while Team Germany defended an eleven-point lead over Team Europe in the men's competition. Under maximum pressure, the eventual winners showed trust, composure and consistent teamwork. In the women's final, Chrissie Harcourt from Great Britain and Anja Filak from the Netherlands rode with control and close coordination to secure victory for Team Europe, while Team Germany's Fabian Fenner, Norman Pleissner and Florian Thomann crowned a consistently strong week with overall victory in the men's competition.
- 1. Europe – 200 points; 2. International – 184; 3. Australia – 164; 4. China – 159; 5. Germany – 146
- 1. Germany – 203 points; 2. Europe – 147; 3. Ukraine – 144; 4. Australia – 138; 5. Japan – 135; 6. Korea – 131; 7. International – 128; 8. China – 102
“I can hardly describe this feeling. My head is a little all over the place; everything feels a bit shaky. It will take a while for it to truly sink in. I am incredibly proud of both of us.”
“We were certainly the smallest team in the competition. But we rode like one body, as one unit. Chrissie is amazing. She gave me a lot of advice, and I was able to follow her and make it through. I gained more confidence because I knew I could follow her and stay focused. I took everything she told me over these days very much to heart and tried to put every piece of advice into practice – and it worked!”
- Six days, around 1,500 kilometres and approximately half of the route away from paved roads.
- For three consecutive days the teams spent eleven to twelve hours on the move; day three featured more than 300 kilometres, including 170 kilometres of trails.
- The eight-kilometre Metzeler Enduro Navigation Challenge on narrow single trails.
- Uncompromising climbs to the Strategica Mountain Road and an exposed descent along a narrow goat track.
- Riverbeds, deep fine gravel, wet grassy slopes and washed-out forest tracks.
Cold temperatures, dense fog, wet camps and constantly changing terrain made recovery and personal organisation just as important as riding skill. Another defining feature was the interplay between authentic adventure and international community: under the motto "Back to Basics", 30 riders from 13 nations experienced Romania's wild landscapes, historic high-altitude routes and warm hospitality. The women's winning Team Europe pair had not known each other before the event, one coming from Wales in the United Kingdom and the other from the Netherlands, and they grew together as a team and overcame every obstacle with mutual support. The BMW R 12 G/S proved itself as a versatile competition bike – powerful, precise and controllable on every type of terrain.
Previously from BMW
This GS Trophy result closed a busy stretch of BMW motorsport news in our coverage. We reported that BMW M Team WRT took its first IMSA overall win in North America with Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde in the GTP race at Indianapolis. We also covered the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team winning its first FIM EWC world title, with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR taking pole and winning the Bol d'Or 24-hour finale at Le Castellet, and Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro completing a GT World Challenge Europe Silver Cup title triple for BMW at Zandvoort.
- BMW M Team WRT takes first IMSA overall win with M Hybrid V8 at Indianapolis
- BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team wins FIM EWC title, a first for a European manufacturer
- Lismont and Montenegro complete GT World Challenge Europe Silver Cup title triple for BMW at Zandvoort
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of BMW's official releases.
Why this matters
The GS Trophy is BMW Motorrad's international adventure-riding competition for amateur riders, and this anniversary edition went farther and was more technical than any before it. Riders from 13 nations competed on forest trails, mountain paths and riverbeds rather than on a race track, so the result reflects endurance, navigation and teamwork as much as speed.
Terms in This Story
- GS Trophy
- An international off-road adventure riding competition organised by BMW Motorrad, in which national and regional teams compete over several days.
- Carpathians
- A mountain range in Central and Eastern Europe that runs through Romania.
- single trails
- Narrow off-road tracks just wide enough for one rider at a time.
- GS
- A model designation used by BMW Motorrad for its off-road and adventure motorcycles.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.