Remembering Malcolm Smith and "Motorcycle Mary" McGee

Hall of Famers Malcolm Smith and Mary McGee both passed away this week, at ages 83 and 87, respectively. Both accomplished impressive, sometimes unprecedented, feats in off-road racing more than 50 years ago, and both were subjects of films. For Smith, that was his role in the hugely influential "On Any Sunday" from 1971, and for McGee it was the ESPN film "Motorcycle Mary" that just came out recently. Other than being featured in films, the other thing they had in common was a boost from actor Steve McQueen.

Malcolm Smith and "On Any Sunday"

Malcolm Smith (Hall of Fame bio) won eight International Six Day Enduro gold medals, raced in Baja, and spent his life working in and owning motorcycle dealerships and parts businesses. But most people got to know his infectious smile because he was featured in the influential move "On Any Sunday." Filmmaker Bruce Brown was a customer of Smith's and invited him to take part in the filming. Smith thought he would be in a few scenes, but in the end he was featured along with Steve McQueen and flat-track racer Mert Lawwill.

"On Any Sunday" was the final shot of fuel that propelled motorcycling to the height of its popularity in the United States. The movie came out in 1971 and more people in the United States bought new motorcycles in 1973 than in 2023, despite the population being about a third smaller.

Malcolm Smith died this week of complications from Parkinson's disease.

Mary McGee and "Motorcycle Mary"

Mary McGee (Hall of Fame bio) was a pioneering racer at a time when women simply didn't go racing themselves. Encouraged by her brother, she started racing cars, then moved on to motorcycle roadracing, and then off-road racing. In 1975, she became the first person — not the first woman — to finish the Baja 500 riding a motorcycle solo against two-man teams. The fact that the Ironman trophy that year went to a man who finished the course solo in a car instead of to her was just one of the smaller examples of the many times McGee faced lesser treatment, skepticism, and pushback from men who couldn't imagine a woman accelerating into their territory.

But McGee was just there to have fun and her attitude, summed up in the phrase "Always say yes" when presented with an opportunity or challenge, inspired uncounted numbers of other women to believe that they, too, could find a place in the male-dominated world of motorcycling.

The trailer above is for the short film "Motorcycle Mary" produced by Academy Award-winning Ben Proudfoot and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton for the ESPN 30 by 30 series. You can watch the full version of "Motorcycle Mary" below.

Mary McGee died this week of complications from a stroke, a day before the documentary was posted on ESPN's YouTube channel.