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/1514840
each other, but they were com- pletely different, and they didn't mind having a go at each other. Their banter was always good stuff. If Mladin said the track was dangerous, Gobert would say he liked it. And those of us with tape recorders loved every minute of it. "Gobert showed up for that first race with the Vance & Hines team with freshly dyed red hair and a big smile. He was an instant hit. He was friendly, funny, and obviously a huge tal - ent. 'With Mat on a Suzuki with all that's happened with me and Suzuki, I wanted to beat every - body, especially Suzuki,' Gobert said post-win after getting fired from the Suzuki MotoGP team the year prior. 'I didn't want them beating me so it's good to sit here and have both Suzukis behind me.' "Gobert won races, 11 of them in the premier AMA Superbike class, yet the Aussie and trouble seemed to be dance partners. But, oddly enough, no matter what hijinks he got himself into, you pulled for him. You wanted him to do well. He had that sort of charming personality. "For the want of a better word, Gobert was fun. He was fun to chat with because you never knew what he was going to say. He was fun to watch race because he was so good. And it was fun to watch it all unfold. He'd get himself into trouble but come back to the track with so much speed that he'd make people forget the troubles. "In a world of 'what have you done for me lately,' Gobert seemed to have that down pat. He had a knack for being able to do enough extraordinary things to make you forget the things that made you shake your head and hope for the best. "It was my job to report on Gobert's problems as well as his triumphs during his career so there were times when he wasn't happy with me. But we'd always get through the uncomfortable conversations, and by the end of it we'd be back to laughing together. "I will remember Gobert for how good he was on a motorcy - cle, how well he treated people, his friendly smile, and the fact that he squeezed everything he could out of a life that ended sadly and much too soon." CN VOLUME ISSUE JANUARY , P29 2024 Suzuki GSX-8R Homologated for MotoAmerica Twins S uzuki is back in MotoAmerica Twins Cup competition with the announcement that the soon-to-be- released GSX-8R has been homolo- gated for the 2024 season. "The GSX-8R is a significant mo- torcycle for us, our dealer body, and most importantly, Suzuki riders," said Kerry Graeber, Suzuki Motor USA's Senior Vice President. "The heart of this motorcycle is an all- new 776cc parallel-twin engine that delivers exceptional performance. Combining ample torque and a broad powerband, we're confident the 8R is a great choice for riders competing in MotoAmerica's highly competitive Twins Cup Championship." Suzuki was one of the early adopters of Twins Cup competition with the aging SV650, which won the Mo - toAmerica Championship for three consecutive years between 2018- 2020 with riders Chris Parrish, Alex Dumas and Rocco Landers. Based on the GSX-8S that Cycle News tested last year in France, the 776cc GSX-8R will thus be the largest capacity machine on the Twins Cup grid against the 660cc Aprilia RS660 and the 689cc Ya - maha YZF-R7. The GSX-8R will be released to the media next week during a na- tional launch at Palm Springs that Cycle News will be attending. The 2024 Twins Cup series, along with the MotoAmerica Championship, kicks off at Day - tona International Speedway on March 7 through March 9. CN Suzuki is back in Twins Cup racing with the new GSX-8R.