Goodbye Gene

Gene Romero excelled in every aspect of motorcycle racing across a long and successful career. And he was known as ‘Burrito’.

- Norm Dewitt

Gene Romero had an unlikely start for a motorcycle racing legend, having spent four years racing quarter midgets and two additional years racing karts. His direction in motorsport was redirected by his neighbor and motorcycle racer Johnny LaManto. He suggested that Gene might want to try racing motorcycles, and soon Gene had acquired Johnny’s Triumph Cub.

Learning to ride along the edges of the local alfalfa fields, it wasn’t long before the topic turned to motorcycle racing. Gene: “My dad said that I ought to go race it, but I said, ‘Nah, I don’t want to do that…’ well, one thing led to another and we did.”

Success quickly followed in both scrambles and flat track/TT, events, first on Tiger Cubs, then on a Bultaco and an Aermacchi 250 Sprint sponsored by the local Harley dealership.

With a forged birth certificate, Romero was racing at Ascot Park by 1964 and, at age 15, he won his first heat race and final.

San Luis Cyclery sold Romero a discounted Triumph, which Gene used to great effect. By 1966 he was sponsored by the dealership and was a first-year expert in the AMA. Gene was to get his first National finish at the Castle Rock TT in Washington and Triumph was beginning to take note of this promising Californian.

For the 1967 season, Gene was brought on to the factory Triumph road racing team, to ride their unbeatable 500cc twin T100/R racer at Daytona. This was a huge opportunity for any rider, much less one without a National win in his resumé. There were six factory Triumphs entered, including those of 1966 winner Buddy Elmore, Gary Nixon, Larry Palmgren, Eddie Mulder, and Dick Hammer.