Ups & Down

Ups & Down

ROUNDUP

UP: To the kids, for taking over MotoGP Yes, it’s Youth Gone Wild, as the paddock’s average age got a whole lot younger this year with a bunch of twentysomethings joining the championship and some of the elder statesman moving onto greener pastures. Out of the 18 riders on the permanent entry list for 2008,10 of them are 25 years old or younger.

The babyface of the group is new Fiat Yamaha rider and two-time 250 Grand Prix champ Jorge Lorenzo (shown). At 20, he wasn’t even born when Eddie Lawson won his first of four 500cc GP championships. In the absence of Carlos Checa (35) and Alex Barros (37), only two men on the grid are over 30; both Colin Edwards and Loris Capirossi are 34, book-ending the group.

DOWN: To Anthony Gobert, for losing his grip. The former roadracing star’s career has been in a downward spiral for years-including failed drug tests, missing races for unexplained reasons and run-ins with the police-but the latest episode in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia, may be the capper. The Courier Mail reported that the 33-year-old-who has ridden for factory-supported teams under the Ducati, Suzuki and Bimota banners-was charged with two counts of stealing, first taking two $20 notes from the hands of a 70-year-old man, then the following day snatching a woman’s purse. According to the report, Gobert told the magistrate, “I’m a professional motorcycle rider, mate,” but added that he was currently unemployed and had applied for a job at Subway. Bail was opposed by the prosecutor but was ultimately granted on the condition that Gobert surrender his passport and check in with the police five days per week. □