Announcements

**javkap** · #1 16 Jan 2024

Ricardo Rocco R.I.P.

Like 21 years ago we met first time this amazing big equatorian guy, we met as fellows bikers and travellers, and very fast from there we become in friends and family, he used to call Sandra his adopted “Mamá Argentina”.

We have traveled together in that moment visiting some Buenos Aires province places like “La posta del Viajero en Moto” in Azul, or the “Juan Manuel Fangio Museum” in Balcarce, among other places.

From there we both were chatting a lot and imagining and planning a net of places for hosting moto-travellers in our cities, for a while he was doing it at his Quito Motohouse, as we did at the old DakarMotos in BA during many years.

As well, we rode from BA to Mendoza and followed the Dakar 2009 for some days together.

He with others old travellers has introduced me to the international community of motorcycle travelers, and especially here to the HU.

We have met few other times, and always kept in touch through all these years, we last met beginning of last year when he was passing Buenos Aires as the last leg of his last big around South America moto-tour.

From the return of that trip, all went down… A bad encounter between a moto and big truck near his home left him fighting for his life for too long. Anyway he did it all and always in a very good spirit, despite expectations. We last exchanged some messages days ago when we had the news that also a tumor had said hi, and he needed surgery and a Pneumonia was joining the party, anyway he never lost his good humor…

Well, he passed away yesterday, and now for sure is riding other roads, where we will meet again (hope in a long time).

Till then, a really big “Moto-abrazo” mi amigo!!!

**chrisratay** · #2 17 Jan 2024

Legendary ❣️

**Grant Johnson** · #3 17 Jan 2024

Very sorry to hear the news, he made a huge impact in the South American motorcycle travel community. Our thoughts are with his family. He'll be missed.

**chris** · #4 17 Jan 2024

What tragic news. I had the honour to call Ricardo a friend too. I first met him in 2000 when he helped get my moto out of Guayaquil dockyard where it was stuck. His style when dealing with the, especially female, bureaucracy was something to admire with awe! We stayed in touch and met a few other times when I passed through Ecuador. My sincerest condolences to his family and friends. A big moto hug and ride for and rest in peace ❤️

**Sun Chaser** · #5 18 Jan 2024

First met Ricardo (A.K.A. Rocco The Lion) in late 1997 as I passed through Quito to Ushuaia.

He used my well hidden house/studio/workshop/shower/beds in Denver 2-3 times during his wanderings in the USA. Met him several times OTR, once being at an HU Meeting in CA.

Pic below is from 2017 as he gave me a "walk-through" of his motorcycle training school. I've a book full of stories about Rocco Happenings, but he said he'd rather be in my next edition of MOTORCYCLE SEX, Or FREUD....(only second edition came out in 2023 after the first print run in 1994). If you knew Ricardo well enough you'd know why he'd rather be cited as a "source/expert/consultant" versus some book about himself.

As Jimmy Dean sang in his 1961 mega hit song "BIG BAD JOHN," Ricardo" was a big, big man."

Spoke with him 3-4 weeks ago - his passing over has left a huge empty set of motorcycle boots.

Ride on, Big Man. I look forward to our next adventure together.

Dr. G, still out there, some say WTFOT :-)