Source: MotorcyclistOnline.com
After time in palliative care, racing star Anthony Gobert has passed away of an undisclosed illness. (Kevin Wing/)January 17, 2024: Eight-time World Superbike race winner Anthony Gobert has died. The racer’s brother Aaron recently disclosed that Anthony had been in palliative care after struggling with substance abuse, and a Facebook message posted by their mother Suzanne Gobert confirmed her son had passed away. He was 48.Anthony Gobert circa 2001, when he was on Yamaha’s AMA team. (Kevin Wing/)Nicknamed “The Go Show,” the whip-quick racer first rocketed onto the world championship scene with a pole, two podiums, and a victory as a teenage wild card in the 1994 Phillip Island World Superbike finale, becoming the youngest rider to achieve that.Once he signed with Kawasaki, Gobert would go on to log more wins as a full-time WorldSBK rider over two seasons. But if Gobert was widely considered to be one of the most naturally talented riders of his generation, he would also be seen as one of its most mercurial; after being scooped up by the factory Lucky Strike Suzuki team for the 500GP series he was canned for failing a drug test in 1997.Related: Speed SecretsThe hugely talented Gobert raced for Yamaha in both the Superbike and Supersport classes in the 2000s. Here he is at the Willow Springs racetrack on a Supersport-spec R6. (Kevin Wing/)Sometime later, the Aussie maverick switched over to the AMA Superbike and Supersport series. Motorcyclist’s Mitch Boehm was fortunate enough to turn laps with Anthony around the Willow Springs racetrack back in 2001 on Supersport-spec YZF-R6s, giving us an up-close look at a rehabbed, friendly, and supernaturally talented racer who, again, showed huge promise for the future. Alas, Gobert’s prowess on the circuit could not contain the off-track demons that continued to haunt him; after a switch back to WSBK, Valentino Rossi told TNT Sports in 2021, “I did party with Gobert in Rio.… Difficult to stay in his slipstream!”All told, the Australian claimed eight victories and 16 podiums from 57 WorldSBK starts between 1994–2000, as well as making 500GP appearances for Lucky Strike Suzuki, Team Muzzy, and running at the front of AMA Superbike standings (including 11 Superbike race wins). His final Australian Superbike campaign would be in 2007, but personal troubles continued long afterward.Our heartfelt condolences go out to Gobert’s family and friends. Those of us who were lucky to see The Go Show rip around US racetracks also know what a huge loss this represents to the racing community at large.
