Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Anthon Gobert By Paul Carruthers Photos by Henny Ray Abrams T a t and happy. Those two words I aptly describe the Anthony Gobert who showed up for the Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway in December. And a happy Gobert is a fast Gobert. A fat Gobert... well, even a fat Gobert is a fast Gobert, though he knows that his extra weight will have to go prior to the season opener at Daytona in March. Still, despite being some 20 pounds overweight, the 23-year-old Australian ended the test as the fourth fastest of the superbike men - behind his new teammate Ben Bostrom, Honda's Eric Bostrom and Suzuki's Mat Mladin. Gobert was upbeat for the three-day test, happy to have the 1998 season behind him. And what a tumultuous season it was. It began on a high note, with Gobert . winning the season-opening race at Phoenix International Raceway - in his first race on a Ducati, his first tifne at the circuit, his first event with his new team. Things then soured at Daytona when Gobert's Ducati failed him and he had to nurse the sick bike to an eighth-place finish. Then it was Gobert's turn to provide the letdown. He showed up for round three with jet lag, fresh from a trip back from Australia. Then he failed to show on the start line in time for the warmup lap and had to start the race on cold tires. He eventually finished 11 th after colliding with a lapped-rider, slipping from first to third in the point standings. He was back on track for Willow Springs, and he and Miguel DuHamel battled to the bitter end, with DuHamel just getting the edge at the finish line. "I had a good race, I feel good and I'm glad to be on the podium again after a couple of bad races," he said at the time. At Sears Point, the Ducati faltered again, a faulty throttle-position sensor causing a misfire that forced him to pit and ultimately finish 30th. . When the series reached its halfway mark with rounds six and seven held on consecutive days at Road Atlanta, America saw the Anthony Gobert they ~ had heard He racing :::J '" to the bi tterabout.with was magic,in both c:: end DuHamel '" races - finishing econd on Saturday, but 28 winning on Sunday. ..., On to Road America and another DuHamel/Gobert battle, with Gobert again coming out on top. Not only that, but he was also suddenly a factor again in the championship and there was little doubt as to who was the hottest rider in the series. Loudon was a hiccup in Gobert's season, as he lacked tl1e confidence in the front end of his Ducati to do more than soldier on to a third-place finish tha t left him just two points behind Doug Chandler in the battle for the AMA Superbike Championship. If Loudon was a hiccup, then the U.S. round of the World Superbike Championship was the belch heard around the world. The FIM showed up at Gobert's house prior to the Laguna Seca round and gave him a drug test. He failed it and admitted to smoking marijuana after his third-place finish at Loudon . Thus he was barmed from competing in the race that he looked forward to more than any other. . From there it was all downlUll. Gobert then failed an AMA-issued drug test prior to the Mid-Ohio round of the AMA Superbike Series a week later and was suspended. He would be allowed to retu rn for the final two rounds, in Joliet and Las.Vegas. In between, however, came a 3D-day stay in a rehabilitation center. More bad news for Gobert came with the cancellation of the Joliet round. That meant he had just one race left, bu t he made the most of it. Still, he was his own worst enemy, as he was late in taking the AMA drug test prior to Vegas. By the time the test came back from Ohio with negative results, Gobert had missed Thursday and Friday's practice. On Saturday and Sunday, he showed why many feel he is one of the most talented riders to ever toss a leg over a road racing motorcycle. Despite not having ridden a motorcycle of any kind since June 21, Gobert was able to come back on October 3 and qualify fifth - on a race track he'd never seen before. On race day, he went even better, climbing up to second place before the Ducati let him down one last time. Gobert was often critical of the Ducati, but if the red V-twin had a voice, it would shout equal disappoint- A rt ment in Gobert. It's as if the two were made for each other. When things go right, there is no faster combination in superbike racing. When things go wrong, they really go wrong. The pair will attack the 1999 season together again. Gobert and the Ducati. The Ducati and Gobert. If both can stay on track, they will challenge for the championship. If not, it'll be an interesting ride. We caught up with Gobert at the recent tire test in Daytona and he talked candidly about his past season and what lies in his future. wasn't real good. The main problem was having to get up at 6 every morning. That was a struggle, but after about two weeks they started realizing that there wasn't any use to waking me up until 9, 9:30, because I wasn't getting up. I managed to bend the rules a bit in there, so that made it livable, anyway. All iI] all, it wasn't too bad of an experience. I learned quite a bit, really. What has your off-season consisted of this year? Mainly just catching up with . friends and trying to stay away from bikes. I haven't even ridden a motocross bike or anything like that, like I normally do. I've just really been trying to have a bit of a break from it. I've been training a little bit, but just hanging out with friends down at the beach and going out and drinking a little bit as well - just taking my mind off racing. and changing things. I learned quite a bit, really. All I was trying to do while I was in there was soak it all in and try to absorb some of the things that I could use in my own life. Q A The drinking doesn't really go with the rehab program - does it? That rehab thing was more something I had to do for the AMA, just to be able to ride at the last couple of rounds. Unfortunately, a round got canceled, so I was only able to do Vegas, but that was the whole idea of the rehab. J don't feel that I have a problem. I know I don't have a problem. I don't see myself as having a problem, so 1 don't think it conflicts with that kind of program. Q A Q What was the rehabilitation program like? • " QAboutyourself? Yeah, and about drinking in general, and drugs Aeffects onabout myselfhave, andand the people it can life make friends in Q IDid youdid you ofany to yourself? there, or keep made a bunch friends. Everyin A one becomes a tight-knit group bit there and,10 be honest, I found that a hard to deal with at first, because I'm pretty much an individual and I like to stick to myself a lot. At first I found that hard, so I was still getting up in the mornings and going running. I wa's there for 30 days and I trained on just about every day except for a rest day herellnd there. I was just doing my normal thing, apart from it was really hurting me not to be able to ride a motocross bike, or even a street bike. That and not getting faxes from the races with results and stuff like that. All in all, it's a tightkni t family in there and I made a lot of friends, both male and female. There were a lot of professional athletes and singers, a lot of people in there in a similar situation to myself, so I could really relate. I ~ad a lot of fun as well; we aJl

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