Gobert: "Enough Bullshit"

Reached via telephone in Australia, former Vance and Hines Ducati rider Anthony Gobert spoke out about his absence at Pike's Peak and the rumors about why he wasn't there.

"First, I'd like to apologize to all my fans and friends in America who were counting on me to win the championship or were coming to Colorado to see me ride. I do wish I could have ridden, but it simply wasn't possible."

Gobert outlined what happened that prevented him from riding. "I had a huge crash on my motocross bike on Wednesday. Right when it happened I knew I'd done something terrible to my shoulder. I've got a plate in that shoulder from a prior crash and it's always been a bit sensitive to injury. I saw a Doctor later that day and he said there was soft tissue damage in the shoulder and recommended that I not ride that weekend. I decided to wait a day and see if it cleared up. It didn't."

Gobert  came under criticism from some in the AMA Superbike paddock because he did not show up at Pike's Peak to at least sign autographs or urge his teammate, Ben Bostrom, on even if he could not ride. Gobert responded: "I guess some people can do that. I can't. I'm not the kind of guy who can be a cheerleader standing by the side of the track waving my pom-poms. I'm a rider. I go to the track to win, or at least to try to win. I'm sorry I disappointed people but that's the way it is." Gobert then stated, "Listen, if I did win the championship I was due a $150,000 bonus, so nobody is sorrier than me that I couldn't ride."

Regarding rumors that he did not race because he feared he would not be able to pass his mandatory drug test, or that there were team orders from VHRD telling him to not go for the win, but to help Bostrom win the championship, Gobert stated: "Enough bullshit; I guess when I'm 84 years old and I'm late for them to give me last rites they'll ask me to take a drugs test too. When I got to Australia my mum arranged a test just so there would be no questions later. I took it and passed." Team orders? "Nobody said anything to me about team orders. Anyway, I don't need somebody telling me to help my teammate to win the championship, I'd have done anything in my power to help Ben or the team."

What of the rumors that he tested the MuZ 500 on Monday in Australia? Clearly exasperated, Gobert responded, "Does anyone know how long it takes to get a motorcycle from Spain to Australia? There was a Grand Prix last weekend in Europe and it takes almost a week to get a bike from there to here and through customs. Besides, today was the first day that I have been able to move my shoulder around like normal, or close to it. I couldn't have ridden on Sunday or Monday, or even today for that matter."
But, will he ride the MuZ at the Australian Grand Prix? "I hope to." said the former Australian Superbike champ. "But I really don't know today. We'll have to wait and see how my shoulder is." Gobert admitted that he wants to test the bike before he races it.

Gobert closed with best wishes for his countryman. "I'd like to say congratulations to Mat (Mladin) for winning the AMA Superbike championship. He put in the consistent performance that you need to to win the championship and he's got every right to be proud."

-- Dean Adams