2022 International GS Trophy

"Explore the unexpected" is the motto of the eighth edition of the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy, which will take place in late summer 2022.

On 14 January at 15:30 (CET), BMW Motorrad announced that the next Int. GS Trophy will take place in Albania – and thus in one of the last still largely untouched off-road paradises in Europe.

Photos: BMW Motorrad

Participating nations are looking forward to exciting but also labor-intensive times by hosting the qualifying events and selecting their teams for this unique adventure competition. Twenty-two international teams and for the first time 6 international women's teams will be selected in the coming months.

Qualification events for int. GS Trophy 2022 Southeast Europe are confirmed in:

Brazil
China
Germany
France
India
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Netherlands
Russia
South Africa
South korea
Southeast asia
Uk
United States

A team can already rely on the Int. GS Trophy 2022. The Chinese team 2020 received a wildcard because it was unable to participate in New Zealand due to the COVID-19 restrictions in force at the time.

BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2022 Southeast Europe.

In the fascinatingly varied landscape of New Zealand, long competition days were the order of the day for the 2020 Edition of Oceania. Albania will offer a completely different driving environment and driving experience to qualified GS drivers, as Dr. Ralf Rodepeter, Head of Brand and Product BMW Motorrad, explains: "After Tunisia, South Africa, Patagonia, Canada, Thailand, Mongolia and most recently New Zealand, BMW Motorrad was once again looking for a location that offers a perfect "GS site". Many legal off-road kilometres are in demand, with challenging track profiles and with a large portion of the unknown. Albania offers perfect conditions for this.

Varied landscapes with high mountains, plateaus, deep forests, beaches along the Adriatic coast, fantastic riverbeds to cross and deep mountain lakes provide the ideal backdrop for what we think is one of the most exciting GS Trophies ever hosted."

About Albania:

The small Balkan country with its very hospitable people is still a real insider tip and one of the last off-road jewels of Europe.

Albania borders Montenegro in the northwest, Kosovo to the north, Northern Macedonia to the northeast, Greece to the southeast and south, the Ionian Sea to the southwest and the Adriatic Sea to the west.

Until the 1980s Albania was very isolated and it was not until 1990 that the Albanians were allowed to vote for the first time. The country has been a NATO member since 2009 and a candidate for EU membership since June 2014.

Slowly Albania is opening up to tourism. Especially the narrow coastal strip of the Adriatic Sea attracts a lot of visitors in summer. However, two thirds of the country is covered with mountains and the hinterland in particular is sparsely populated.

The coastal region is Mediterranean in terms of climate, with continental climate prevailing in the hinterland.

Albania is a country of contrasts from the Middle Ages to the modern age. Again and again castle ruins and fortresses line the path. In the small towns there is a mysterious atmosphere and often you don't have to drive long to be far away from the modern world.

A lot is being built and just as quickly nature is getting the roads and paths back. Few major roads connect the north with the south and the east with the west.

The hinterland is crisscrossed by extremely narrow, winding roads and unpaved paths, which requires very good and technical driving skills. Everywhere and at any time you should expect a surprise regarding the question of whether or how the road continues.

Capital: Tirana
Population: x 2.8 million
Size: 28,748 km2
Currency: LEK
Language: Albanian

About the international GS Trophy.

The International GS Trophy is an event that celebrates the "spirit" of the now legendary BMW GS models. It includes everything a GS motorcycle stands for: driving fun, adventure and challenges. The Southeast Europe Event 2022 is the eighth edition of the International GS Trophy. Previous editions were held in Oceania (New Zealand), 2018 in Central Asia (Mongolia), 2016 in Southeast Asia (Thailand), 2014 in North America (Canada), 2012 in South America (Chile, Argentina), 2010 in South Africa (South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique) and 2008 in North Africa (Tunisia). In the current edition, 22 teams compete with 60 riders from all over the world. The drivers' field includes GS Trophy Marshals, media representatives, doctors, sponsors and a photo and film crew.

The int. GS Trophy is not a race, but a team competition in which an international line-up of off-road enthusiasts competes together in various special tests. Not all of these tests are pure driving tests. It's also about knowledge and teamwork. Since the competitors experience a lot of time together and also spend the night in a bivouac, this adventure event also promotes a sense of belonging. It is not uncommon for friendships to be made here for life. The GS Trophy connects people, cultures and motorcyclists from all over the world to the same extent as the GS motorcycles.

The team will be successful from the experience of the past GS Trophy events, which, thanks to solid preparation and excellent teamwork, performs the best in terms of driving and has a lot of fun with a great and cross-border camaraderie.

Be there!

In the following press releases, BMW Motorrad provides details about the GS motorcycles used, the equipment to help participants master the event, and more detailed information about the participating countries and selected teams. BMW Motorrad offers a multi-channel media experience during the event, the details of which will be published in a timely manner. The spectrum ranges from social media postings to regular written messages to professionally filmed and edited video summaries for every day.
For now, you can find out more about the event and the teams on the dedicated website gstrophy.com.

Immediately after the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2022 Southeast Europe, BMW Motorrad once again offers the "Follow the Trails" tours, where customers can follow in the footsteps of the competition with the original GS Trophy motorcycles.