Anthony Gobert
Encyclopedia
Anthony Gobert is a professional motorcycle
road racer
nicknamed The Go Show. He was a rider of immense promise and talent who had his career derailed by a personal struggle with drug abuse. He is the eldest of three racing brothers, which include Aaron and Alex.
In his teens he was a successful motocross
racer, winning national classes in Australia, before moving to road racing and winning the Australian domestic superbike championship. He first earned international notice as a wild card at his home Superbike World Championship
round at Philip Island
in , taking pole position, a win and a third place. Racing full-time in the championship for Muzzy Kawasaki
in , he became team leader after Scott Russell
's abrupt departure and finished 4th overall, winning races at Laguna Seca
and Philip Island
. He was 8th in , with 3 wins and 3 other podiums, after missing much of the season through injury.
He went to the 500cc World Championship
in 1997
with the Lucky Strike Suzuki
replacing Scott Russell as the number one rider, but was dismissed in mid-season after failing a drug test. For 1998 and 1999 he competed in the AMA Superbike Championship on a Vance & Hines Ducati, with some success, including a win as a WSBK wildcard at Laguna Seca. A win in the second race was within reach, until an unforced crash at the final turn, onto the main straight. The second race was won by his team mate Ben Bostrom.
For he returned to WSBK
on a Bimota
SB8R. With the race number 501, he won a wet race at Philip Island and generally did better than expected on the machine, before the team folded, due to lack of financial backing. Bimota named the SB8K Gobert bike after him. A 500cc one-off at Donington Park
for Kenny Roberts
' KR3 Modenas Team and three British Superbike
meetings (substituting for Steve Hislop
at Team Virgin Mobile Yamaha) followed in late 2000.
For 2001 he was back in the AMA
championship with Yamaha
, spending two years racing the YZF R7 in the superbike class and the YZF R6 in the supersport class respectively. This was followed with a brief dalliance with Ducati in 2003. After some time back in the Australian Superbike series he did two rounds of Supersport World Championship at the start of , replacing the injured David Checa
. In , he raced at the Valencia
Superbike World Championship round (making him the first rider to have wildcard rides in three different countries), alongside some rounds of Spain's Superbike series. For 2007 he returned to Australia Superbikes on a Kawasaki.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
road racer
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
nicknamed The Go Show. He was a rider of immense promise and talent who had his career derailed by a personal struggle with drug abuse. He is the eldest of three racing brothers, which include Aaron and Alex.
In his teens he was a successful motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
racer, winning national classes in Australia, before moving to road racing and winning the Australian domestic superbike championship. He first earned international notice as a wild card at his home Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
round at Philip Island
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...
in , taking pole position, a win and a third place. Racing full-time in the championship for Muzzy Kawasaki
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
in , he became team leader after Scott Russell
Scott Russell (motorcyclist)
Raymond Scott Russell , aka Mr. Daytona, is an American sportscar racer and former championship motorcycle road racer, born in East Point, Georgia. He is a former World Superbike and AMA Superbike Champion, has won the Daytona 200 a record five times, and won the Suzuka 8 Hours in 1993...
's abrupt departure and finished 4th overall, winning races at Laguna Seca
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, USA....
and Philip Island
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...
. He was 8th in , with 3 wins and 3 other podiums, after missing much of the season through injury.
He went to the 500cc World Championship
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
in 1997
1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 49th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:A fourth world championship in a row for Honda's Mick Doohan with another dominating performance. He broke Giacomo Agostini's record for victories in one season with 12 wins. It...
with the Lucky Strike Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
replacing Scott Russell as the number one rider, but was dismissed in mid-season after failing a drug test. For 1998 and 1999 he competed in the AMA Superbike Championship on a Vance & Hines Ducati, with some success, including a win as a WSBK wildcard at Laguna Seca. A win in the second race was within reach, until an unforced crash at the final turn, onto the main straight. The second race was won by his team mate Ben Bostrom.
For he returned to WSBK
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
on a Bimota
Bimota
Bimota is a small, Italian manufacturer of custom and production motorcycles. It was founded in 1973 in Rimini, Italy by Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini. The company name is a portmanteau derived from the first two letters of each of the three founders' surnames, i.e...
SB8R. With the race number 501, he won a wet race at Philip Island and generally did better than expected on the machine, before the team folded, due to lack of financial backing. Bimota named the SB8K Gobert bike after him. A 500cc one-off at Donington Park
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
for Kenny Roberts
Kenny Roberts
Kenneth Leroy Roberts is a former motorcycle racer and racing team owner. In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship. He was also a two-time winner of the A.M.A. Grand National Championship...
' KR3 Modenas Team and three British Superbike
British Superbike
The British Superbike Championship is the leading road racing superbike championship in the United Kingdom.The championship is managed and organised by MotorSport Vision. The Series and Race Director is Stuart Higgs. Event marshals are provided by the Racesafe Marshals Association.Two annual...
meetings (substituting for Steve Hislop
Steve Hislop
Steven 'Hizzy' Hislop was a Scottish motorcycle racer. Hislop won the Isle of Man TT eleven times and also the British 250cc Championship and British Superbike championship ....
at Team Virgin Mobile Yamaha) followed in late 2000.
For 2001 he was back in the AMA
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
championship with Yamaha
Yamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
, spending two years racing the YZF R7 in the superbike class and the YZF R6 in the supersport class respectively. This was followed with a brief dalliance with Ducati in 2003. After some time back in the Australian Superbike series he did two rounds of Supersport World Championship at the start of , replacing the injured David Checa
David Checa
David Checa born on April 20, 1980 in Sant Fruitós de Bages, Barcelona, Spain is the 2004 Endurance World Champion. He then competed for two years in the Superbike World Championship.-Early years:...
. In , he raced at the Valencia
Circuit de Valencia
Circuit Ricardo Tormo, also known as Circuit de Valencia and officially named Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, is a motorsport race track located in Cheste and built in 1999. It has a capacity of 120,000 spectators and seating for 60,000...
Superbike World Championship round (making him the first rider to have wildcard rides in three different countries), alongside some rounds of Spain's Superbike series. For 2007 he returned to Australia Superbikes on a Kawasaki.