Gene Romero

Didn’t see a thread, apologies if I missed it.
RIP Gene

 

Ah crap...met him back in the day at Louden.
RIP.....Champion.

 

I remember being behind him in tech at Brands Hatch for the Transatlantic Match Races in 1974. In those days the paddock there was on the side of a pretty steep hill with the tech shed at the bottom. He wheeled his TZ700 out of tech and then proceeded to bump start it up the hill to ride it back to where he was parked, a seventeen year old me was mightily impressed.

 

Gene Romero was a legend in his own time. I saw him win the Sacramento Mile in 1970 that won the AMA Grand National Championship over all the other greats of that era. That race also played a big part in the movie On Any Sunday. A few years later, I was lucky enough to share the track with him in AMA National Championship Road Races of the 70's & 80's. He was a great rider, gentleman and nice guy. He will be missed.

 

Damn. RIP.

 

Gotta crank up on any Sunday this evening....

 

RIP sir. You were one of my early heroes.

 

Daytona qualifying record: 157.3 in 1970 when qualifying consisted of one lap around the oval. Riding on suspension & tires of that time ?? Big'uns !!!

Godspeed Burritto

 

I was racing minis in his day. He was larger than life to me. R.I.P. All of the racers at that time inspired my generation. Carry on racers.

 

He was the first person I heard use the phrase "When the green flag drops, the bullshit stops."

 

Wasn't that on a Triumph 3-cylinder?

 

Yep, Triumph Trident. Interesting read on it here:

http://www.triplesonline.com/racing/COMPETITION - The '70s and the three-cylinder Trident.htm

 

English as a second language. That's a tough read in places.

 

I assumed it was a machine translation.

 

Loudon! Here he is on the grid at the 1980 Laconia Classic. Photo by Gary J. Remal.

 

...."I dig carnations." One of the greats.

 

Yes sir.