Scheduled for late summer, the 2026 GS Trophy competition in Romania will feature the BMW Motorrad R12 G/S dual-purpose. The route for the GS Trophy 2026 is located in the Carpathian mountains, and will showcase the R12 G/S’ ability across steep climbs, rocky paths and dense, jungle-like forests.
Participants for the GS Trophy will have to attend one of the eight national qualifying events and one international qualifying round worldwide. National qualifiers are held in Australia, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea and Ukraine, while the International qualifier will be held at the BMW Motorrad Enduro Park in October 2025.
There will be 15 national teams, comprising of nine men’s teams and six women’s teams, who are required to perform GPS navigation exercises, off-road special stages and technical tests. The GS Trophy 2026 Romania is the tenth edition of the event, with the first round in 2008 taking place in Tunisia, North Africa while the ninth race was held in Namibia in 2024.
The BMW Motorrad R12 G/S carries the Gelände/Straße (Off-road/Street) moniker first used on the legendary R80 G/S from the 1980s. This makes it a true dual-purpose enduro motorcycle, in the view of its famous Paris-Dakar race forebear.
Power for the R12 G/S comes from a boxer-twin engine, displacing 1,170 cc. Power is rated at 109 hp at 7,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 115 Nm at 6,500 rpm with the left-hand exhaust system with high-mounted rear silencers in the classic enduro style.
There are two variants of the R12 G/S, the Standard and the Enduro Pro package. The Standard is fitted with 21-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel while the Enduro gets an 18-inch rear wheel.
