Knowledgeable sources say that Anthony Gobert has agreed to terms with the Austin Ducati team for 2003 and will be signing a contract to race the Texas-based Ducati in 2003 soon.

This news will stop his competitors in their tracks. Gobert raced a Vance and Hines Ducati Superbike in 1998 and 1999 and was lethal on the machine, racking up pole positions and race wins, including (most famously) the pole at Daytona, winning his first race on the bike at Phoenix and his astounding win over Miguel DuHamel at Road America. And from the most infamous on-bike chapter from that period: Gobert actually missed the first qualifying session at Loudon on the VHRD bike and still nailed the pole.

Million dollar (or so) question: which tires will the team use? Gobert has been Dunlop tires for most of his AMA career but the Austin team used Michelin tires this season with rider Pascal Picotte.