To find the right venue for the Great African GS Challenge in the most sparsely populated region of South Africa was a huge challenge in itself, but the chosen spot is so remarkable that the organisers guarantee it will exceed participants' expectations.

"We deliberately chose the Bo-Karoo as the region for this year's Challenge because it is so remote, unexplored by most motorcyclists, uncluttered by tourist traps, and uniquely South African," says BMW Motorrad special projects manager Deon Meyer. "But this also meant that the perfect venue was always going to be very hard to find."

The recce team initially had five potential places on their location list - and all five failed to live up to the high standards set by Country Trax in 2004.

"Just when we began contemplating a different part of the country, we started hearing rumours about an oasis on a huge game farm that might fit the bill. And when we went to investigate, it was a revelation, and a huge relief."

In addition to being extraordinarily beautiful and rather remote, the venue had the necessary basic infrastructure, and an owner who immediately warmed to the idea of hundreds of GS riders camping there for four nights.

"The other great advantage is the much more central location than last year's venue, when some riders had to travel more than 1 800 kms to attend. The 2005 venue is about 900 kms from Johannesburg, 600 from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and 1 200 kms from Durban. Even Namibians will have 500 kms less to travel than last year."

Deon explained that there are two reasons why the exact location and name of the venue will remain shrouded in mystery for a little while longer. "Firstly, we want to keep the interest going as part of our marketing campaign. Secondly, we don't want to encourage exploration of the area at this early stage."