Its been an up and down year for the prodigiously talented Australian rider Anthony Gobert. From winning a round of the World Superbike series at Phillip Island in April on the Bimota, to seeing the race team go bust, to a one-off ride in the rain soaked British GP on the Modenas, Gobert is now wandering the road racing wilderness.
But not for long, as the "Go-Show" has returned to where it all began; back to Australia to compete in the fourth round of the Australian Superbike Championship to be held at Sydney's Eastern Creek this weekend (August 25-27) with two heats - both only eight laps long so it shouldn't tax his fitness too much.

The 25-year-old Gobert will be riding a Honda CBR929RR sponsored by the Victorian, Advantage Honda shop, vacated by two-times Aussie Superbike Champion Marty Craggill, who has taken over the ride vacated by 1997 World Endurance Champion, Peter Goddard in the British Superbike Championship who in turn has been drafted into the Harald Eckl-run Kawasaki World Superbike Team as a test rider after a couple of impressive performances (Got that?).

Gobert's last race at Eastern Creek on a Superbike was when he wrapped up the Australian Superbike Championship riding for the factory Winfield Honda team on a RC45 in 1994. That was before setting the world alight at the Phillip Island World Superbike round when he demoralized the field to win first international race as a fresh-faced "innocent" 19-year-old. It is understood that of the remaining rounds Gobert will race at Eastern Creek and Phillip Island before making a decision on the other remaining rounds at Mallala (South Aust) and Wannaroo (West Aust).

Although it is called the Superbike Championship, there are only two true Superbikes racing, that of the Ansett Air Freight Suzuki team piloted by title leader Shawn Giles (sixth in the recent Suzuka 8-hour) who hasn't dropped a race so far this year, and Scott Charlton drafted in after incumbent Paul Free left to chase glory overseas.

The other competitors in the premier class are aboard "Production Superbikes." These include Yamaha R1s and Honda Fireblades (CBR900/929s) with limited modifications allowed. These are; slicks, pipe, jetting with fork internals and rear shock free. Other than that, everything else is box-stock standard.