Cant believe it, a great shock to me. Had not heard he was suffering until Brad mentioned it on Fanschoicetv So-Cal broadcast. Because of my old bud Wayne Karcich, I got to hang out with Gene and Wayne for three days on and off at Gene's Las Vegas Short Track. Gene was always one of my biggest heroes and spending some quality time with him was unbelievably cool and invigorated my respect for the man. We did some interesting things during those days including visiting a buddy of his in hospital who got racked up at the races. We stopped by Red Rock Harley in Vegas where they have the Rob North Triumph that he put on the pole at Daytona (He won the 200 in 1975 on a TZ750) by running a front tire on the back for higher speed. They also had all the championship winning Honda RS750 from when Gene was the Team Manager. Driving around, I could not help but ask him questions about all the great things I knew he had done throughout his stunning career. He was only too happy to tell many, many crazy stories about his racing experience. Gene was a gentleman of the first order, humble and kind. I am honored to have known him and treasure the memory of the brief time I spent with him. When your invincible heroes pass on, you know it is the end of a wonderful era and nothing ever stays the same and it reminds you to make the most of every moment.
