The promoters of the Superbike World Championship in Monterey did something amazing around five and a half years ago. Mary McGee, the first racing athlete, was invited.
Pyrotechnics and other crowd-pleasing techniques are not necessary for motorcycle racing. The drivers are an alluring blend of adrenaline, wiry strength, and confidence, and the bikes are quick and noisy. The vitality of races is pure.
The prototype was defined by McGee, who passed away in Gardnerville, Nevada, on November 27 at the age of 87.
Throughout the 2019 World Championships, the rider’s career was celebrated. She spoke with fans and offered commentary on the show. She also interviewed me for a Monterey Herald article in the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca media center.
At the age of 82, McGee maintained his fitness, spoke with youthful vigor, and moved with purpose. She wore her plentiful supply of white, wind-whipped hair frizzy, smiled broadly, and laughed frequently.
An hour can only cover a few highlights of a life spent riding motorcycles, driving cars, and navigating difficult terrain. McGee was happy to tell her tale. She focused her responses on me, however, and showed an equal curiosity in learning more about the interviewer. She gave a long, firm hug to close out the interview, which is unusual for an athlete and a reporter. It was sincere love, and I imagine she had such conversations frequently.
During the interview, McGee stated, “I miss riding, but I miss the dirt bikes most because that’s what I liked best.” Although I enjoyed vintage motocross, I gave it up in 2013. I was seventy-seven.
McGee’s career was cut short by severe arthritis in both hands. Although she claimed to have shrunk somewhat, she was still 6′ 1″ and 137 pounds when she ran.
McGee received an invitation to the 1959 flat track race known as the Sacramento Mile a few weeks after her Laguna Seca debut. McGee was interviewed by Bruce Aldrich and me, the seven-year co-hosts of The Weekly Driver Podcast, at a hotel restaurant in Sacramento. Firm hugs returned.
Aldrich recalled that she was kind, sincere, honest, and a wonderful storyteller. For the motorcycle community, it is a true loss.
In 1962, McGee came to the Monterey Peninsula prepared to compete. Because they were motorcycle enthusiasts, the group—which included five buddies and another competitor—was unexpectedly forced to leave a restaurant.
The event happened before to the motorcycle rally for the Gypsy Tour. The audience was still aware of the myth surrounding Marlon Brando’s performance in the 1953 film The Wild One. The 1947 biker riot in Hollister served as the inspiration for the movie.
McGee remembered clearly that the server at Papa John’s Pancake House started calling the cops. McGee’s crew complied and had no trouble dining somewhere else. She competed that week and for decades after that.
McGee provided black-and-white photos from her debut, the first motorcycling event at Laguna Seca, while she was there. It depicts her navigating Turn 8’s famous Corkscrew. In the distance are two additional bikers, both men.
McGee was born in 1936 in Juneau, Alaska, and his family moved to Phoenix in 1944. In 1956, she wed Don McGee, a mechanic who took his wife to auto racing. She became enamored. Despite having a son, the couple separated in 1976.
In 1957, McGee purchased her first motorbike, and a few years later, in 1960, she started racing cars, from Mercedes-Benz to Ferraris.
Some city officials objected to the first motorcycling event being held at Laguna Seca. In part, the message said, “Businessmen, get your women and children out of town, the motorcyclists are coming.” McGee recalled seeing it in the local newspaper.
The competition was very different when McGee was at his best. All divisions, all ages, and both sexes were part of a single race.
She said, “I fell off a lot.” I went to the desert after I quit road racing. Despite the Mohave’s beauty, I must admit that racing there was really difficult. I wasn’t the most powerful. Despite my height, I was a slender individual.
McGee, who was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018, rode a Honda 250, which was a heavyweight for its day and a bike in its infancy. She became the first person to finish the Baja 500 solo in 1975, one of her numerous achievements.
During his retirement, McGee frequently followed motorsports. Because it seems like Formula 1 is going haywire, she didn’t like it. Although she was unaware of any contemporary rivals, she respected their abilities. Into her 80s, McGee was a driver of a Toyota Tundra pickup truck. Twenty years ago, she bought the car brand-new.
At the time, she declared, “I drive it every day.” For heaven’s sake, how else do you get around if you don’t drive? However, I do observe that many other drivers are not paying attention.
Not all of them are glued to their phones. Simply put, none of them are visually active. You must absorb it all.
(The documentary Motorcycle Mary, which chronicles the athlete’s life, premiered on ESPN’s YouTube channel on November 28.)
Sacramento-based syndicated auto columnist James Raia also writes travel, sports, and lifestyle pieces for a number of print and online magazines. [email protected] is the e-mail.
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