Former Triumph and Yamaha factory pilot Gene Romero is seen coming out of turn 4 at the Syracuse Mile during a qualifying session in September 1975 at round 16 of the AMA Grand National Championship Camel Pro Series held at the New York State Fairgrounds. Romero was competing on his #3 C&J Frames-sponsored Yamaha in his first season as a privateer after having ridden for the Yamaha factory team in '73-'74. Earlier in the season, Romero won the Daytona 200 while riding for the Yamaha factory team in the road racing part of the schedule, where he still had full factory support at the time.
Romero competed in the AMA Grand National Championship for 16 years, finishing in the top-10 in points regularly from the '68 season well into the late '70s, while winning the 1970 AMA Grand National Championship as a member of the Triumph factory team. Although his biggest win came in the '75 Daytona 200, won of his biggest wins from this old fan's standpoint was his Indy Mile win in August '74 aboard the Yamaha parallel XS650-based twin, which if memory serves me correctly, was the last win on a mile track for the XS-based mount.
Since retiring from riding, 'Burrito' as he was called, managed the Team Honda flat track assault on the AMA Grand National Championship in the early-mid '80s, and has been promoting flat track events on the west coast with his WCFTS for over a decade. Teaming with AMA Pro Flat Track's Mike Kidd, Romero also helped promote the 2009 season-ending show at Pomona.
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Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series kicks off it's 2012 season at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas, NV. on January 13-14. The series kicked off it's 2010-2011 seasons in Vegas with a slew of west coast riders attending, along with other AMA National caliber talent including Brad Baker, Sammy Halbert and Jimmy Wood. WCFTS event flyer courtesy of Gene Romero's WCFTS.com.
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Press Release courtesy of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series
THE 2012 WEST COAST FLAT TRACK SERIES OPENS AT
THE SOUTH POINT HOTEL CASINO IN LAS VEGAS
WITH THE 21st ANNUAL LAS VEGAS VINTAGE
MOTORCYCLE AUCTION
Race fans will be treated to the thrilling spectacle of handlebar-to-handlebar motorcycle racing action when Gene Romeros West Coast Flat Track Series thunders into the Events Center at Michael Gaughans South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., for the South Point Championship Indoor Concrete Short Track on January 13 and 14.
The opening rounds of Gene Romeros 2012 West Coast Flat Track Series tour, the event draws participants from 18 states vying for victory at the South Point Event Center. Spectators will witness breathtaking, pulse-pounding excitement as the competitors race within mere inches of each other at tremendous velocity on the arenas polished concrete surface, which is specially prepared to provide multiple G-force cornering speeds, showcasing the talent of some of the best flat track motorcycle racers in the country.
The event card will include four unique divisions: The K&N Filters Open Class, the Saddlemen Vintage Class, the Top Gun 450 class and the Classic Open Class all represent the high standard of competition and diversity at all West Coast Flat Series events, featuring racing motorcycles that reflect the past, present, and future of flat track motorcycle racing.
Adding to this spectacular weekend will be the 21st Annual Las Vegas Vintage Motorcycle Auction The Worlds Largest, produced by MidAmerica Auctions, Inc. The festivities begin Thursday, January 12, with a 6 p.m. dinner auction of 75 motorcycles, and continue Friday, January 13th, at 9 a.m., with 200 more motorcycles being offered. The auction resumes on Saturday, January 14, at 9 a.m., with 225 motorcycles scheduled to cross the block.
Providing an outstanding opportunity to bid on incredible machinery, plus view some of the most exciting racing action ever seen, the South Point Championship Indoor Concrete Short Track is definitely an event you wont want to miss.
Gates for the races open at 6:30 p.m. and racing begins at 7:30 p.m. each night. For more information on the race, visit www.WCFTS.com. For special room rates click Entry Blank tab. Additional information on the auction can be found at www.MidAmericaAuctions.com.
You can check out Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series here via their official site:
http://wcfts.com/
And you can read more about '70 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero here via the AMA Hall of Fame site:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=89&lpos=-820px&letter=R&txtFname=&rblFname=S&txtLname=&rblLname=S&discipline=0
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