It is arguably one of the most memorable quotes in all of motorcycle lore – and maybe the most memorable, as it’s contained in what’s considered the grandest motorcycle movie of all time, Bruce Brown’s epic 1971 moto-documentary On Any Sunday.

“I don’t want to hurt anybody,” quips Gene Romero during practice for the 1970 Sacramento Mile, the race that would settle that year’s Grand National Championship, “but I just wanna get out there, and I gotta get third no matter what. Boy… It’s gonna be either one … I gotta get third or come and visit me in the hospital. I dig carnations, man!”

As most know, Romero did better than third at Sacramento, winning the race in dramatic, wire-to-wire fashion over guys with names like Mert Lawwill, Dick Mann, Jim Rice and David Aldana, and securing his first – and only – Grand National title at the age of 22.

Sadly, Romero died May 12, 2019, in Fullerton, California of pneumonia and lung complications, just ten days short of his 72^nd birthday.

Like a handful of racing heroes from the 1960s and ’70s, Romero excelled on dirt and tarmac. He won his first AMA National, at TT at Castle Rock, WA, in ’66 at the age of 19, and would go on to race the Daytona 200 14 times, winning it dramatically in 1975 after dicing with the likes of Giacomo Agostini and Steve Baker. He won the prestigious Ontario 200 the year before, and was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.

“With his movie star good looks and charismatic, devil-may-care persona,” remembers longtime motorcycle journalist Art Friedman, who covered Romero’s career for Cycle News and Cycle Guide back in the day, “Romero, or ‘Burritto’ as he was nicknamed (he spelled it with two Ts), seemed like the epitome of a motorcycle racer to many. But as a journalist I appreciated his his quick wit. If a race report seemed too dry, talking to Burritto would often add some fun to it.”

“He was a huge personality,” says longtime race promoter and close friend Chris Agajanian. “An old-school spirit akin to his pal ‘The Intimidator’, the other #3. The entire Agajanian family is shaken and saddened at the loss of our dear friend You are forever in our hearts. Elvis has left the building, and Gene has left the racetrack – with the checkered flag in hand.”

Romero is survived by his loving wife Cheri and 23-year-old son Geno.

In lieu of a memorial service, many racetracks across the nation will have a moment of silence in Romero’s name, and ‘celebration of life’ event will be announced shortly. To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Gene’s Grand National Championship, a special event is being planned for the 2020 Sacramento Mile, with Agajanian as Grand Marshal. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.