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A day earlier than Thanksgiving, the motor racing world misplaced considered one of its most vital trailblazers. Mary McGee, or “Motorcycle Mary,” died at 87 years previous final Wednesday. The Alaskan native was a pioneer in automobile and bike racing, opening up new territory not just for ladies — but in addition for anybody attempting to push the boundaries of endurance sports activities.
On Thanksgiving, a day after her passing, ESPN dropped the documentary, Motorbike Mary, chronicling the exploits of this undersung hero of mid-Twentieth-century racing. When the octogenarian pulls out the ring from her 2018 induction into the AMA Motorbike Corridor of Fame, you already know this documentary goes to be a enjoyable trip.
“There’s an inscription, and it says, ‘Drinks gas, spits nails,’” McGee says with a smile worthy of a Steve McQueen motion movie.
After an early profession in automobile racing, McGee turned the primary American girl to race bikes. Confronting sexism and private tragedy, she then pulled off a feat no man or girl had earlier than: soloing the grueling Baja 500 on a bike.
AMA Motorbike Corridor of Fame
“The core of the story is about isolation and how Mary navigated a male-dominated world in the 1950s and ’60s,” documentary director Haley Watson says within the intro.
Don’t miss this transferring documentary about considered one of America’s lesser-known mavericks of the open street.
Runtime: 23 minutes
