Page 28 - LHR November 2025

The bike remains exactly as it was when it finished mid-season in 2000. It still has the telemetry attached,
and the magnesium swingarm hasn't seen any Autosol since Gobert's splash to victory. It was set to be
auctioned at the MCN Show in London on February 16, with an estimated price of R1,743,000 to
R2,179,000 (approx. £80,000-£100,000). If you bought it, congratulations.

Heading into the first Australian World Superbike race
at Phillip Island in 2000, one thing was certain: the
Bimota SB8K you see here wasn't going to win. It was
powered by the underrated Suzuki TL1000 V-twin,
and the bike had hardly been tested. The enigmatic
Anthony Gobert had worked his magic to qualify it
11th, but the expectations were low—it wasn't
expected to finish.
Then, as the bikes lined up on the grid, the rain started.
Chaos ensued as teams scrambled to swap slicks for
intermediates, then back to wets as weather
predictions swirled. Gobert's team wanted to fit
intermediates, but the Aussie rider was adamant: “Full
wets.” It was a bold call. By the end of the first lap,
Gobert—who tragically passed away in early 2024 at
just 48—had sliced through the field to take the lead.
Behind him was pole-sitter Troy Corser on the Aprilia,
also on wets. But Gobert was unstoppable. His soft-
set-up Bimota shook its way down the straights while
finding insane grip around the corners. Corser fell off
trying to keep pace.
By lap seven, Gobert's lead was an astonishing 47
seconds. He lapped World Championship leader Nori
Haga on lap eight, but a dry line was starting to form.
No matter. Gobert slid the bike effortlessly around as
his wets began to disintegrate. By the time the
chequered flag waved, Carl Fogarty had closed the
gap slightly, but Gobert's winning margin was a
remarkable 29 seconds.
After the race, Gobert reflected: “I've raced at Phillip
Island a lot, and I just felt full wets were the way to
go—and luckily, I was right. I couldn't believe the lead
I had after just a few laps. I thought I couldn't throw it
away, so I rode really steadily in the latter stages. It's a
great achievement for Bimota, and it's awesome to
beat Ducati so early in the season… I think we've
surprised a few people today.”

28 NOVEMBER EDITION 2025