Summary

The 10th BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy has begun in Romania, bringing 13 teams together for six days and around 1,500 kilometres across Carpathian terrain. The event uses teamwork and practical riding challenges rather than outright speed to determine performance.

BMW Motorrad’s 10th International GS Trophy has begun in Romania, where riders will spend six days navigating approximately 1,500 kilometres of Carpathian terrain. The event began on Sunday, 13 September, according to BMW’s 14 September announcement, with the opening camp located near Colțești in Romania’s Transylvanian region.

BMW describes the GS Trophy as a team-based adventure rather than a conventional race. The field includes 13 teams and riders from 13 nations, with points awarded in special tests that assess riding ability, practical problem-solving, mental skills and cooperation.

Contents

A team-based format, not a conventional race

Outright speed and individual victory are not the event’s stated measures of success. Participants are expected to support one another, solve practical and intellectual challenges together and make decisions in difficult riding conditions. The special tests award points for broader adventure-riding skills rather than simply recording the fastest time.

That format makes the GS Trophy a demonstration of how large adventure motorcycles are used in varied terrain, where route choices, balance, endurance and group coordination can matter as much as acceleration. BMW says the 2026 edition is being held under the motto “Back to Basics”, with the programme centred on demanding rides, teamwork and unpredictable conditions.

Six days across Carpathian terrain

The route is expected to include dense forests, gravel roads, river crossings, steep mountain sections and both ascents and descents. Roughly half of the planned route runs off paved roads, while the paved sections also require concentration because of the region’s topography.

The riders are based near a 13th-century fortress overlooking Colțești. BMW’s description places the route within the Carpathian mountains and highlights the area’s extensive forests and remote landscape. The event therefore combines organised riding tests with a long-distance expedition through a region selected for its range of surfaces and elevation changes.

The riders and the competition motorcycle

BMW says the field was assembled through eight national or regional qualifiers. Before the start, participants completed registration and medical checks, received individually fitted protective equipment and had SENA communication systems integrated into their riding setup. They then took delivery of personalised BMW R 12 G/S motorcycles for the event.

The R 12 G/S is identified by BMW as the 2026 GS Trophy competition bike. The manufacturer says the motorcycle will be used across the event’s on- and off-road sections, including forest tracks, gravel roads and mountainous trails. The announcement does not provide technical specifications for the competition motorcycles.

Immediately after the GS Trophy, BMW Motorrad plans to offer “Follow the Trails” tours. These tours are intended to let customers ride routes associated with the competition on the original GS Trophy motorcycles, extending the event’s format beyond the professional and qualifier field.

The opening announcement describes the route, teams and preparation for the event; results and final standings are not included in this account.

Sources