Interview: Anthony Gobert
Oct. 01 1999
The MuZ team put this interview out today in Australia
"In America, I win pretty easy. I went through a stage where I tried to see how fat I could be and still win. I won some races where I hardly could do my leathers up. That's what I have been like all year because it's been pretty easy for me really." -- Anthony Gobert Question: What is your first impression of the MuZ-Weber bike?
Gobert: The bike is really good. I was concerned because I was not gonna have much time on the bike before this weekend, but luckily, we were able to ride in Broadford yesterday. I did enough laps to feel pretty comfortable with the bike and the Michelin tires as well.
To learn the Michelin tires is the biggest thing for me, because they are so different to the Dunlops. The way the 500 is set up, it feels really stiff and firm, so you get a lot less feedback from the tires than with the Ducati on Dunlops. That has been a really soft ride, you get a lot of feel for where the limit is pretty much straight away. With this bike and its tires it is going to take me a little more time to really know where the limit is. I certainly don't want to find out the hard way - I don't want to jump to the limit, get carried away and highside myself out for the weekend. I want to make sure that I am here for all three days, so I'm trying to improve steadily lap by lap. We already went from a 17 inch rim to a 16.5, and as there is a bit more contact patch on the ground, I was sliding it a bit more and knocked a second off my time straight away.
Question: How do you find working with your Swiss team?
Gobert: The team is great, I'm getting along with all of them really well. They seem like a big family, and that's the way you've got to be in this sport to make it all work. It's a homely atmosphere, I feel comfortable with the whole package, and I'm sure this will make a big difference for myself. Already I feel a lot better, and I'm really looking forward to the next practice sessions. I should go out and drop another second because so far I haven't even been pushing hard going into the turns. Even before turn one, after going so fast on the main straight, I'm backing off a bit earlier than the others. There are a lot of places where I need a bit more time to get the right line. But this will all come to me if I just stay patient. I just hope to pick it up by Sunday and to be able to put in a good performance for these guys. It's good that they put the bike on pole position a couple of times, so they are after a good race result, and it would be nice to be the guy to give them a good finish.
Question: There have been rumors about you being overweight and about your ongoing problems with the collarbone injury you suffered back in 1997. How fit are you really?
Gobert: I feel fit. I've been training gradually all year even though I haven't been training real, real hard, because to be honest: In America I win pretty easy. I went through a stage where I tried to see how fat I could be and still win. I won some races where I hardly could do my leathers up. That's what I have been like all year because it's been pretty easy for me really.
But when the opportunity with the Biland team came up, I have been training really hard again, and I now definitely feel that I have trimmed up a lot. It's a bit of a shame that I fell on my shoulder two weeks ago, otherwise I could have been even better prepared and things could be better again. I probably could be a bit sharper mentally if I was fitter on the bike. So I have to be patient instead of just going out and doing what I want to do.
My shoulder injury has been there all the time since 1997, the screws have always been tearing the tendons. Every night I wake up due to the pain. It's kind of frustrating, and sooner or later I might have to get the plate out. But the doctors told me it would take a long time to heal because it was broken so severely, and I'd probably have to have this plate for the rest of my life. So for the moment I'm not sure what's going to happen.
It's probably a good thing that I'm not a 100 per cent because then I probably would end up highsiding myself because I'd be too excited!
Question: The other rumor is that you party as hard as you ride. (dean wryly notes: merely a rumor folks, do not be alarmed) Does this bother you?
Gobert: To be honest, I'm not really partying that much. I've always had a drink after a race, and when I have a bunch of weekends off, I have a few drinks with my friends, but all in all really I don't party that much. It's only because I have different color hair and all that, everyone is associating this with me partying. Sure I enjoy a beer, I am the first one to admit that, but I also enjoy training hard and riding hard. I enjoy feeling the satisfaction of a good race, and then having a beer to celebrate what I've done. That's how I've always been, and that's all - it has just been blown out of proportion.
Question: What has changed in your approach and attitude in the past three years?
Gobert: A bit has changed - my hair color! What else? I'm getting a bit older, and I'm getting more mature I think. In the past, I just wanted to be world champion pretty bad, and I didn't really think too much of the technical sides of racing. I just wanted to go out and win, I didn't worry about bike set-up or anything, and when they asked me if I wanted to change the shock I would answer: Just leave it the way it is. When the thing was bucking, I thought that's just the way I rode, where now I realize it was the bike not set up correctly. That's the kind of things I now try to think about and make it better. When I did World Superbike in 1996 and 1995, I often was all over the place where the other guys went straight - that was a lack of experience. Since I went to America, I've started to concentrate more on my riding, I've sat down more with the crew chief and we've come out with different plans and set-ups. I learned that if you have a good set-up, you can go a second a lap or so quicker in the race because it saves your tires. I've learned a lot over there, team owner Terry Vance has been a great guy taking me under his wing and showing genuine concern about me and my career. He wants me to succeed and be world champion, and I really appreciate his help.
Question: It's a big race weekend for the Goberts - your younger brothers Alex and Aaron are starting here on 250s. How do you feel about that?
Gobert: It's pretty good, I'd like to be racing with them in the production class right now! Hopefully one day we will all be in the 500 class together. That's my goal, I want to be 500 champion, that's why I went road racing, and I think those guys are pretty keen on doing the same. I don't know how many years this will take, but it would be nice for all of us to be together in the 500s. But even though they are only beginning, it's great to see them out there, and I can't wait to watch the race on Sunday.
Question: What does the future hold for you?
Gobert: I would like to get a strong top ten finish on Sunday. And then, it would really be nice to try and ride for these guys next year. If not, I would like to find a good World Superbike team.
###
