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/128320
SuperMotoX To X Games E SPN X Games has announced the addition of SuperMoto X to its lineup. X Games X will take place August 5-8 in Los Angeles for the second consecutive year, and for the first time ever, com plete X Games daily live coverage will be featured on ESPN and ABC Sports . Supe rMoto X is expected to include legendary athletes from different motorcycle competition disciplines such as Jeremy McGrath, Mike Metzger, Travis Pastrana and Chad Reed, according to event promoters. The new Super Moto X com pet ition joins the retu rning Moto X disciplines of Best Trick, which was added in 200 I, Freestyl e (added in 1999) and Step Up (added in 2000). The com - "I'm absolutely positive that this will put SuperMoto in the international spotlight. X Games fans will be seeing some incredible handlebar-to-handlebar racing action with the top riders from many different types of motorcycle racing going for X Games Gold." - Mike Metzger plete listing of athle tes participating in X Games X, the venue s and the competition schedule will be announ ced at a late r date . SuperMoto X at X Games X will feature the 20 to p race rs going head to head . A timed trial for starti ng positions will be held the day prior to competition. Racers will line up alongside one another in the start, and the first racer to complete 20-25 laps wins the gold medal. The sport organizer for this event is SuperMoto X LLC, a collaborative effort between MXi, Inc. - X Games' current Moto X sport organ izer - and MetzMoto, Inc.. led by freestyle star Metzger. SuperMoto X will be aired live in its ent irety back on the first place to broadcast it when it was known as Superbikers - ABC's "W ide World of Sports ." "It definitely doesn't come as a big surprise to me that they are adding the most extreme form of motorcycle racing to the X Games : ' said Metzger. "I'm absolutely positive that this will put supermoto in the international spotlight. X Games fans will be see ing some incredible handlebar- to-handlebar racing action with the top riders from many different types of motorcycle racing going for X Games Gold." Gobert Arrested According to the April 8 edition of the weekly Huntington Beach Independent newspaper, road racer Anthony Gobert was arrested on "suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant" early last week. As the newspaper's blotter sheet points out, "they [Gobert and the othe rs who were arrested in a time span between April I and April 8] have only been arrested on suspicion of a crime and, as wit h all crimes, are consid- e red innocent until proved guilty." Wh e n co ntacted on Friday, April 9, regar ding the case , Erion Racing's team owner Kevin Erion re fused to comment well in on his Vance & Hines Ducati, after fail ing an FIM drug test that was given to him nine days before the start of the event. A week after the Laguna Seca event, the AMAsuspended Go bert for the remainder 01 the season w hen he tested positive for marijuana in a test administered by AHA Pro Racing just prior to the Mid-Ohio round 01 the AMASuperbike Series. "The situation speaks for itself," tea m owner Terry Vance said at the time. "If you take dr ugs, you don't get to race . It's that simple." wide ran dom drug scre e nings AMA Pro Racing conducts over the co urse of the season." his shoulder in a motocross training crash. Following his AHA suspe nsion and prior to returning to action at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Gobert took part in a 30-day rehabilitation program at Anacapa By The Sea in Oxnard, California, at which point team owner Terry Vance was supportive 01 his rider. "If he makes a mistake and makes amends to fix it, we still suppo rt him:' Vance said. "50 That officially ended his re lationship with Vance & Hines. "I believe if he is injured , then he should be here to support the team, " Vance said at the time after calling in Mike Smith at the last minute to replace Gobert . In 2000, Gobert competed in a portion of the World Super bike Ch amp ions hip for Bimota, winning the w et Phillip Island, Austra lia, round. He also rode for Kenny we' re not going to turn our tails and run return to action in the final round of the beca use he had a problem." Although he showe d up ove rwe ight, Gobert ended the 1998 season at the Dunlop series in Las Vegas, running tire test at D aytona claiming to be a changed in an impressive man, and his outloo k for the 1999 seaso n with Vance & Hines Ducati was bright. In an interview in Cycle News, Gobert downplayed the rehab program he went through the sea- Gobert's suspension was later red uced by an appeals board and Gob ert wou ld except for stating, "I have to ge t mo re info rmation, " Given Gobe rt 's past and the fact that he has just entered into a new deal with t he Hon dabacked Erion team, an arrest at th is po int in his car ee r cou ld be disastrous. Gobert's first public troubles came on July 10, 1998, when he was de nied entry into the Laguna Seca ro und of the World Superbike Champ ions hip, a race he was expected to do 8 APRil 21 , 2004 • CYCLE NEWS ---"'";i1), place secon~ be fo re the Ducat . ~ blew a hea d gasket. 1( Gobert was also placed !< on probation by the AMA Z for the 1999 season, and ;: the AHA stated that "he will be req uired to submit to and bear the cost of the J: AMA Pro Racing drug screenings he is ordered to part icipate in. The frequen cy and terms of administration of such tests will be at the sole discret ion of AMA Pro Racin Go be rt will also g. be included in any series- help his teammate Be n Bostrom win the AMA Superbike title, claiming he'd injured son pri or. "That rehab thing was more so mething I had to do for the AMA, just to be able to ride t he last co uple of roun ds. Unfortu nately, a ro und got canceled, so I was o nly able to do Vegas, but that was the whole idea of the rehab. I don't feel that I have a problem . I don't see myself as having a problem, so I do n't think it conflicts with tha t kind of prog ram." In 1999, Gob e rt won five races on the Vance & Hines Ducati but failed to show up for the final rou nd at Pikes Peak to try to 40th Anniversary Robe rts' M odenas team in one race, took part in a few rounds of the British Superbike Championship on a Virgin-backed Y amaha, and ended the season riding a Winfield Honda in the Australian Superbike Championship. In 200 I, Gobe rt was back in AHA racing with Yamaha, again showlng his speed with victories before being injured at New Hamsphire Intemational Speedway. Gobert ret urned with Yamaha for the 2002 seaso n, winning a round at Californ ia Spe edwa y be fore injuries again ruined mo st of his season. Last year, Gobert started the season on the Ducat i Austin team but was fired midway th ro ugh the year and replaced by Giovanni Busse i, This year, Gob ert signed a deal to race an Erion Honda CBRIOooRR in the Superstock Serie s. H e w as a no-s how at D ayton a becau se of visa proble ms, and he finished 16th in his season debut on April 4 at