The next Great African GS Challenge will be held on the same date as the first one, and it's going to bigger and better - and will include a few changes that will allow more people to have even more fun.

"We invite all GS riders to diarise 22 to 25 September 2005, because that is when next year's event will take place. And we hope to make an announcement about the venue soon," says BMW Motorrad General Manager Lachlan Harris.

BMW regards the first Challenge at Country Trax in September as a resounding success, and thanks to the wonderful feedback from attendees and a steep learning curve, they hope to make next year's event even better.

Lachlan officially announced that riders will retain their participation numbers as long as they keep attending the event. "For instance, Gerrit Mocke was the first person ever to register for the GS Challenge, and therefore received the number '1'. Should he attend next year's event, he will be riding with the same number. And, if Gerrit does ten in a row, the number '1' is his permanently - much like in the Comrades marathon."

Other major changes include:

• Novice Routes. "In addition to the Green and Red daily routes, we will have a new category for people who have just started venturing off-road," says Lachlan. A substantial number of clients indicated that they did not attend the Challenge because they were worried about the difficulty of the riding.

  "We want the GS Challenge to be as inclusive as possible, because the event is about sharing the passion on all levels. The Novice Routes will be shorter than the Green, and we will make sure that there are no nasty surprises.

• Special stages for the Green Routes. "A number of attendees asked for this one, because the Red Route riders found the special stages so exciting. So next year, we will find Green Route tracks that will deviate from major gravel roads, but still be within the ability of Green Route riders.

• Pillions will be welcome. Lachlan says a very small percentage of pillions were allowed at this year's event to experiment with the concept. It was such a success that BMW has decided to allow any number of pillions in 2005. "Again, the thinking is inclusiveness. A lot of GS owners do their riding with significant others, and we want to give them the opportunity to do it at the Challenge.

• Bikes on trailers to the nearest town: Not all GS riders travelled the same distance to attend. To level the playing field a little, the organising committee will negotiate with, for instance, a school in the town nearest the GS Challenge venue to use their sports facilities for parking cars and trailers - and provide the necessary security, of course.

"Only motorcycles will be allowed at the venue, and the rule that you are only allowed to sleep in and under the stuff you can load on the bike, will also be retained."

Lachlan added that the event manager and BMW were also working hard to create travel opportunities and packages for a number of overseas GS owners who have indicated that they want to attend.