AMA: Gobert Appeal Decision
3 August 1998
A three-member Appeal Board met at AMA headquarters in Westerville, Ohio, to review the case of Vance & Hines Ducati team rider Anthony Gobert. Gobert 's appeal was in regard to his suspension from professional competition in the AMA Superbike Series, the result of his testing positive for a prohibited substance. Gobert was represented at the hearing by his team owner, Terry Vance.The Appeal Board reached the following conclusions regarding the penalties for Gobert's case:
1) Gobert's suspension for the remainder of the 1998 season is reduced to three races. Having already been denied entry to the July 19, Mid-Ohio Superbike race, Gobert will be suspended for the next two rounds of the 1998 AMA Superbike series.
2) In order to be readmitted to professional competition following his three-race suspension, Gobert will submit to a GC-MS urinalysis test, and must test negative for any prohibited substances. Gobert will bear the costs of all tests.
3) Gobert will be placed on probation for the remainder of the 1998 season and the next full year he holds an AMA Pro Racing license. During the probation period, Gobert will be required to submit to and bear the cost of the AMA Pro Racing drug screenings he is ordered to participate in. The frequency, and terms of administration of such tests, will be at the sole discretion of AMA Pro Racing. Gobert will also be included in any series-wide random drug screenings AMA Pro Racing conducts over the course of the season.
4) The Appeal Board recommended that Gobert participate in a community service program in the area of substance abuse education, to be completed during the winter and before the start of the 1999 AMA Superbike season.