voncon
Tue Feb 21st, 2006, 10:54 AM
Just a week or two ago -- the Superbike Planet reported the Go-Show on heroin .... driving with out a license to score some dope. Now I get this from Yamaha last night and wonder what the heck is going on.
Kurt
Gobert joins Yamaha GMT94
20/2/2006
Yamaha GMT94 has signed Australian rider Anthony Gobert to ride its
YZF-R6 in the opening rounds of the Supersport World Championship.
The eight-time world superbike race winner will substitute for the
injured David Checa. Checa crashed in testing last week and broke his arm,
forcing him out of the opening races in Qatar and Australia. After
undergoing a successful operation on Friday the Spaniard is expected to
return to the saddle by the end of March, leaving the team needing a
replacement rider for the opening two races.
Gobert, who celebrates his 31st birthday on the day of the Phillip
Island race, rocketed onto the world superbike scene at the end of the 1994
campaign - taking pole position and a win at the Australian round.
After three years in the championship 'The Go-Show' moved to 500cc Grands
Prix before returning to the world superbike series in which he made his
name in 2000. His win on the underpowered Bimota, again at Phillip
Island, was as memorable as the race six years earlier and showed his
undoubted natural talent as he won by almost 30 seconds in a wet race. His
last world championship outing came in October 2000 when he rode a
Yamaha YZF-R7 at Brands Hatch.
In the intervening years he faced well-documented personal problems
while racing in American and Australian national championships, but
Anthony says he is fit and ready to race in what will be his debut world
championship supersport races.
"I'm really happy to have the opportunity to get back into the world
series with a good team and bike," he said. "I took a few years out to
work out what I wanted to do and I've realized that it is to get back
into racing. I raced in Australia last year and it looked like I might be
doing that again, until this offer came to ride in the first few races.
At first I was approached for the Phillip Island race but I really
wanted some time on the bike beforehand, so the team invited me along to
Qatar as well.
"The first race will really be a test for us. I raced supersport for
Yamaha US in 2001 and 2002 but the bikes have changed a lot since then.
It's a new track, team, tyres and bike for me and I haven't ridden for
five months, so the goal in Qatar to get a good set-up and hopefully a
top ten. If we can get into the groove in Qatar then there's no reason
why we can't be aiming at the top five in Phillip Island."
Round one of the Supersport World Championship takes place at the
Losail circuit in Qatar this Saturday with round two at Phillip Island
taking place eight days later.
Kurt
Gobert joins Yamaha GMT94
20/2/2006
Yamaha GMT94 has signed Australian rider Anthony Gobert to ride its
YZF-R6 in the opening rounds of the Supersport World Championship.
The eight-time world superbike race winner will substitute for the
injured David Checa. Checa crashed in testing last week and broke his arm,
forcing him out of the opening races in Qatar and Australia. After
undergoing a successful operation on Friday the Spaniard is expected to
return to the saddle by the end of March, leaving the team needing a
replacement rider for the opening two races.
Gobert, who celebrates his 31st birthday on the day of the Phillip
Island race, rocketed onto the world superbike scene at the end of the 1994
campaign - taking pole position and a win at the Australian round.
After three years in the championship 'The Go-Show' moved to 500cc Grands
Prix before returning to the world superbike series in which he made his
name in 2000. His win on the underpowered Bimota, again at Phillip
Island, was as memorable as the race six years earlier and showed his
undoubted natural talent as he won by almost 30 seconds in a wet race. His
last world championship outing came in October 2000 when he rode a
Yamaha YZF-R7 at Brands Hatch.
In the intervening years he faced well-documented personal problems
while racing in American and Australian national championships, but
Anthony says he is fit and ready to race in what will be his debut world
championship supersport races.
"I'm really happy to have the opportunity to get back into the world
series with a good team and bike," he said. "I took a few years out to
work out what I wanted to do and I've realized that it is to get back
into racing. I raced in Australia last year and it looked like I might be
doing that again, until this offer came to ride in the first few races.
At first I was approached for the Phillip Island race but I really
wanted some time on the bike beforehand, so the team invited me along to
Qatar as well.
"The first race will really be a test for us. I raced supersport for
Yamaha US in 2001 and 2002 but the bikes have changed a lot since then.
It's a new track, team, tyres and bike for me and I haven't ridden for
five months, so the goal in Qatar to get a good set-up and hopefully a
top ten. If we can get into the groove in Qatar then there's no reason
why we can't be aiming at the top five in Phillip Island."
Round one of the Supersport World Championship takes place at the
Losail circuit in Qatar this Saturday with round two at Phillip Island
taking place eight days later.