Monday, February 06, 2006
Whenever I hear Anthony Gobert's name, two memories immediately unfold in my mind. One is of Gobert riding the Muzzy Kawasaki in Friday practice Monza in 1995 or 1996; the session was winding down and Gobert was one of the few bikes left on the track. He and that Kawasaki were precision instruments in the back section at Monza, and as the sun streamed on my face the slight breeze blew through the wispy woods that make up Monza, it seemed, just for a moment, like I was witnessing racing perfection.
The other immediate memory that I have of Go-Show is of him battling with John Kocinski the next year at Laguna Seca. Gobert's run down the hill from the corkscrew and his flat-out amazing late-braking into Laguna Seca's final turn were beyond belief to even veteran race watchers. Gobert had the Muzzy bike so far leaned over that from some angles it looked like he was using the front brake disks to keep the bike up. Never in my life have I seen more people watch a race and then shake their heads in disbelief at what they were seeing than on that day.
When those two memories rush past in my head I always smile, no matter what I happen to be doing at the time.
Sadly, it became quite clear as he aged into his 20s that Anthony Gobert had and seemingly still has serious issues with addiction. Those issues and the situations that were brought about because of those addictions certainly curtailed Anthony's racing career, destroying it, in reality. Gobert has been racing in Australia on a semi-private Honda in the Australian Superbike series for the last year, in a low-key attempt to get him back in a place where he can race competitively again. It must certainly be soul-bending for him to do, as there were periods when Gobert was considered the most talented rider in the world.
Judging from a press report from Australia, the addiction demons that have shadowed the likable Australian for the last decade may have actually grown stronger instead of being corralled.
An Australian newspaper reported last week that Anthony Gobert was recently ticketed for driving without a license-for the third time in five months. The way it stands now, Gobert will not be able to legally drive in Australia until November 2010. He was fined $600 and sentenced to 300 hours of community service for his driving offense.
Disturbingly, according to the report, during Gobert's court appearance, his attorney stated that the reason Gobert had been out driving on the day when he was ticketed was to buy heroin, that Gobert now has issues with "heroin addiction".
The report also states that Gobert has an opportunity to race in the World Endurance series "later this year".
Gobert will turn 31 next month.
