Tribute: Farewell to the Go Show….

As riders and teams prepped for the opening Malaysian Grand Prix of 1997 in the steamy, tropical heat of Shah Alam, a shirtless Anthony Gobert swaggered along pit lane.

Gobert’s wildchild celebrity, unfiltered bravado and speed from World Superbikes had him tagged as the next big thing in 500cc GPs.

And the Aussie’s beaming smile and fizzy persona were yet to be devastated by the hardcore substance abuse that triggered a miserable decline which saw him pass away last week at the tragically young age of 48.

This precocious childhood talent started on Pee Wee 50s, then dominated Australian Supercross (1992 champion) and used that success to self-fund his transition to 250cc proddy racing and then Australian Superbikes, winning the 1994 national title with Honda Australia…