Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128315
AMA Reps ol Superst ock Series the nolot that 11 named Aaron far back I went. I wasg the pit board to see the re we re to go, and 'That's it.' I needed to off and moving to the decided that, the w hite I was in fourt h." he finish was typ ical in the right place at the By PAUL CARRUTHERS P HOTOS BY HE N NY RAy ABRAMS hile much of the pre Superstock race hype com ing into Daytona focused on w he t her o r not his brothe r would show up to race the Erion Honda or which one of his teammates would win the race or which bike wou ld be better, the Yamaha R I or the Kawasaki ZX IORR, or how t he tires would fare , Aaro n Go bert just sort of went unnoticed as Bike Week unfolded. In the race, he continued to sneak around , right up until the part where he won the race on the final run to the flag. When the six-rider lead group crossed the finish line to sta rt the final lap of the Superstock final , Gobert and his factory Yamaha RI were fifth. When he exited the chicane to make the fi nal run to the checkered flag, he was fourth . At the line he was first, winning his first AMA race since scor ing the victory in the Formula Xtreme race at Virginia International Raceway in 200 I. The win also marked the completion of his comeback from a se ries of major injuries, the most ser ious the head injury he suffered at Daytona two years ago. "The first time I ever came to Daytona to race was actually on an Aprilia, and it was okay," Gobert said. "The first time I did an AMA National here , I ended up in W a coma in Fremo nt, or whatever it's called down there. I've been working hard for two years to get back, and for some reason I don't really care too much abo ut that accident any more, and it's really good. To get a win on that last lap was really incredible. All I could hear was [Dave] Sadowsk i's voice in the back of my mind, thinking of him on TY, saying, 'You Know Who is in the perfect position on the exit of the chicane.' I was there, I was in fourth , and I was th inking, 'This is pe rfect.' I couldn't believe I won . I still wasn't sure when I went through turn one . It was just unbelievable." Unbelievable it was, the Superstock class making its debut in the new 1000cc, slick-tire er a and loo king an awful lot like a 600cc Supersport race - with a lot of horsepower and fear thrown in. When it was over, the top six were separated by just .8 of a second, with three of the big four manufacturers represented in the top 10. As is always the case with a close race at Daytona, it came down to the run through the tri-oval from the chicane to the fi nish line. When they got there, Gobert had come from fourth to first, beating his teammate Jamie Hacking by a whisker .0 I0 of a secon d. Then came Kawasaki's Tommy Hayden , just .069 of a seco nd ad rift , Damon Buckmaster's Yamaha only . 100 of a second off the leader, Kawasaki's Roger Lee Hayden . 13 1 of a second behind, and Yamaha's 40 MARCH 17,2004 • CYCLE NEWS Jason DiSalvo .8 of a second back in sixth place. On ly the n was there a break , with Attack Kawasaki's Josh Hayes dropping off the back of the lead group to fi nish so me eight seco nds behind in seventh . He led home the Yoshimura Suzuki of Ben Spies, the Texan having bee n forced to undergo a stopand-go penalty for jumping the start, the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki of Steve Rapp, and the Hooters Suzuki of John Haner, the last ofthe top IO. Although Gobert led the field into turn one , it was Buckmaster w ho spent the majority of the time at the head of the pack, the Australian leading 10 of the 12 laps. Behind him, things changed every lap and often , the top six swapping spots continuously. Roger Lee Hayden led the 10th lap, but Buckmaster was back in front as they started the final go-around. From there it was Gobert, blasting from fourth to fi rst on the run to the flag. "I didn't think that rac a 600 race, I thought it Superbike race and we w separate," Gobert said. "I was ae third, then fourth and went back to sixt 40th Anniversary of there in fourth was , nd I sort of was hoping I'd be further forward , but it turned out to be the best thing for me," Gobert said. "When Jamie [Hacking] pulled out of t he draft and started heading up high, I t hought he was going to go to the wall and didn't know if I'd have room, Aaron Go bert laid low the e ntire ro ce and th e n got 0 tripl e d roft off of Ha cking, To m my H e n, and