Shane Booth, Australian Team Journalist –
"The International GS Trophy Special Stages continue to test the Aussies in Mongolia.
On Day 4, we were faced with a 270km route of relatively easy riding sprinkled with a couple of short, deep sand sections. The Aussie Team nailed this section – no doubt due to their experience covering the sand on Australian adventure rides such as BMW Safari.
The first Special Test of the day was a towing challenge, which proved to be tough for Shane, Mick and Simon. The surface was soft and sandy. Two turns in, Shane, who was towing Mick, lost the front in some bull dust and tipped over, resulting in disqualification.
This was a tough break for the boys as they had put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into practicing for this particular challenge. It took a little time to recover from the disappointment but in true Aussie style, they rode into the camp with high morale.
Special Test Two was a timed team challenge, where the goal was simple.
Competitors have to race to set up and pull down their one-man Marmont tent.
The boys nailed this challenge! Keeping tidy and making no mistakes meant we were the first out of the three teams in our heat.
The day concluded with a quiet night in camp and a break from the harsh desert wind we've been experiencing so far.
Everyone is well rested as we head out on today's stage – a 300km ride across the awesome Mongolian landscape. Bring it on!