Gobert takes first blood

From Aprilia: For one of the few times this summer, Sydney put on a magical day for the first round of Moto Mayhem held at Oran Park this weekend. With not a cloud in the sky and a warm 35 degrees spectators were treated to a perfect day of racing.

The Moto Mayhem event boasts 8 facets of motorcycle racing, ensuring there is an event for every spectator and rider. Such events include Freestyle, Motocross, Supermoto, Enduro, Mini Moto, Moto Trials, Dirt Track and Stunt Riding.

For the second consecutive year Aprilia made a head turning appearance at the event adding to the already strong competition in the field with six Aprilia SXV's competing in the round in various classes.

Competing in both Pro Supermoto events Aprilia's talented Alex Gobert took to the track on his Aprilia SXV 450 Van Den Bosch replica, his aim being to intimidate his strongest rivals.

Alex was able to qualify his SXV 450 to the outside of the first row of the grid setting a blistering lap time of 59.5, smashing his previous fastest lap time. He commented after qualifying, "The bike is perfect, last night we were able to make a few adjustments to the settings as it has been so long since I last rode the machine. I am feeling confident and determined for the race. Qualifying in position four, we should be able to pull off a great start."

In the first race of the Supermoto Pro class, Alex was able to fight with Supermoto heavyweights Cru Halliday and Luke Richards for 10 laps to take third place and his first ever podium on the Aprilia SXV 450.

In race two, Alex again started from the 4th position on the grid. After having a troubled start he was able to work his way through the field, eventually crossing the line in third behind Halliday and Richards after watching many of his rivals carve each other into submission.

Combining Gobert's fantastic podium results in the Supermoto category with the points Alex earned through his efforts in Motocross and Mini Moto, Alex won the overall Moto Mayhem event taking home the "Iron Man" trophy.

"Ben Tompsett worked really hard during the week to get my bike ready for the event and Nick Brain was on hand all weekend to help me out," said an extremely happy Gobert after the event. "Everything ran well, I produced my fastest ever lap of the Oran Park circuit in qualifying, but unfortunately I was not able to take advantage of the position due to a bad start in the race. However, it was great to work my way through the field and take my first ever podium on the Aprilia... I hope I can keep improving at the same rate for the remainder of the 2008 season."