Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert will undergo additional surgery to his left ankle next week in Australia, says his mother and manager Sue Gobert. Aaron Gobert fractured his ankle, along with many other bones, in a horrific AMA Supersport race crash at Daytona March 8. Gobert had screws surgically inserted into the ankle a few days later at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 21-year-old Australian hoped to return to action in the May 2-5 AMA National at Sears Point, but now doctors say that more work, and time, is needed.

“Yamaha sent all his X-rays to Dr. (Arthur) Ting, and Dr. Ting said that he needed more surgery,” said Sue Gobert, the mother and manager of Aaron, Anthony and Alex Thursday, April 5 at California Speedway. “Aaron has a really good orthopedist at home, and he wanted another opinion. He flew back there Monday (April 1) and went straight to the doctor’s from the airport.

“He does need more surgery. He’s going into the hospital Monday (April 8). They are going to operate and put a plate in his left ankle.”

There were also question marks remaining about Gobert’s broken right collarbone and shoulder blade. Some reports said that the middle Gobert brother’s scapula was completely shattered.

“It is shattered. They did an MRI on his shoulder in Australia,” continued Sue Gobert, while waiting in the AMA technical inspection line at California Speedway with her youngest son, Alex. “I don’t think they did one here, I’m not sure. I haven’t seen one. But they (doctors in Australia) say that the shoulder should have been operated on straightaway.

“It is healing (naturally), but he will always have a physical deformity – his right shoulder will always be lower than his left. The plus side, I guess, he will never ever dislocate his right shoulder (again) because it’s jammed in there so far it’s never going to come out again. Apparently, he will have full range of motion in the shoulder.

“They’re going to wait one more week because with the skin graft on the shoulder, they couldn’t move. They had to keep the skin graft still. In one more week, they’re going to start physical therapy and get it all going. So the prognosis on the shoulder is really pretty good.

“He’s still young. He’ll be back better than ever, I’m sure. In another four to six weeks, then he can start training again. The right leg with the pin in it, he’s allowed to put little gentle pressures on it now. I think they are going to take the cast off while he’s in the hospital next week. He can very slowly start walking on the right leg, then four to six weeks for the left ankle. I know what Aaron’s like from being injured before. If they say it’ll take eight weeks, he’ll try and do it in four. He’s got a very strong will. He’ll be fine, better than the first night when we didn’t know what to expect.”