In 2000, Anthony Gobert surprised friend and foe by celebrating Bimota’s return to WorldSBK with a resounding victory on a soaking wet Phillip Island. The Bimota SB8K has now been put up for auction for the upcoming MCN London Bike Show with Iconic Auctioneers, where the bike is expected to fetch £80,000 to £100,00.
A unique opportunity to acquire a real Bimota SB8K factory machine – and therefore an important piece of Bimota history. After almost 20 years of absence, Bimota made his comeback in WorldSBK in 2000 with the SB8R, launched in 1998, powered by the 90° V-twin of the Suzuki TL1000R, ridden by Anthony Gobert, who unfortunately died far too early last year.
Known as “The Go Show”, Antony Gobert was an immensely talented driver, but his rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle took its toll. Gobert died last year at the age of 48. At the age of 19, Gobert made history by winning the second race at Phillip Island as a wildcard on the Kawasaki ZXR750R – the youngest winner in WorldSBK.
This earned him a seat in 1995 at Muzzy Kawasaki, the team that had become world champion with Scott Russell in 1993, where he became the first rider after Russell suddenly left the team that year to switch to the 500cc Grand Prix. Gobert finished in 4th place that season, with two wins in the US and Australia.
The second season, Gobert won 3 races, including the double at Phillip Island, after missing a large part of the season due to injuries, after which he switched to the 500cc Grand Prix in the Suzuki factory team on the RGV500. For the second time in his career he replaced Scott Russell. His Suzuki factory adventure was short-lived, in the autumn he was expelled from the team after a positive drug test.
After two seasons in the AMA Superbike Championship on the Vance & Hines Ducati, with which he won the WorldSBK race at Laguna Seca as a wildcard, Gobert returned to WorldSBK in 2000 with Bimota, which also made a comeback after retiring at the end having withdrawn from the 1991 season.
Driving with starting number 501, Gobert managed to surprise friend and foe by winning the first race on a soaking wet Phillip Island, the second round of the season. Gobert performed above expectations with the SB8R, which was subsequently named SB8R Gobert by Bimota. After his strong performance on his home circuit, Gobert recorded five DNFs in Japan, Italy and Germany, and was not at the start in Great Britain due to injuries.
Halfway through the season, Bimota withdrew from WorldSBK due to financial problems. The Bimota SB8K now up for auction is the machine with which Gobert won the first race at Phillip Island in 2000. The factory racer, in original and therefore unrestored condition, is privately owned and on display for the last few years, so will require a thorough inspection before use.
The Bimota SB8K comes with quite a few spare parts and a historical file with a Bimota Classic Parts appraisal, a “Letter of Authenticity” from Bimota and various periodic Bimota publications. A rare opportunity to acquire a real Bimota factory machine.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.