I met Mary McGee at the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show (IMS) over ten years ago– her towering stature, curly light hair, and radiant smile all give her an indomitable presence. She has a sort of glow about her. Plus, the moment you start talking to her, you realize she is one of the kindest people to walk the earth. Talking with her in person, albeit briefly, was extremely memorable for me.
That’s why it was a no-brainer for her to be a feature in my book. The piece about Mary McGee in my 2021 book, “The MotoLady’s Book of Women Who Ride: Motorcycle Heroes, Trailblazers, and Record-Breakers,” talks about her incredible story as a history-making motorcyclist. I’m so happy to see her getting the recognition she deserves in the recently premiered documentary “Motorcycle Mary” from ESPN. I even called it in my book on page 43– “Mary’s life seems nothing short of movie-worthy when you learn how she got the idea to pick up off-road racing. A year after her feature in Motor Trend, she attended a New Year’s Eve party where the one and only Steve McQueen gave her a friendly hard time. ‘McGee, you’ve got to get off that pansy road-racing bike and come out to the desert.’”
Mary McGee is a pioneer in American motorcycle racing, thanks to her untamable determination and a spirit as warm as her smile. Her excitement for motorcycling, especially racing, is contagious even in her eighties. She was the first woman to receive an FIM racing license in the United States, first woman to complete the Baja 1000, and the first woman to race the Baja 500 solo. These aren’t her only firsts, either. She was also the first woman in motocross and road racing in the States. McGee was rightly inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2018.
Born in Juneau, Alaska, in 1936, Mary and her family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1944 because of the threat of Japanese attack during World War II. At twenty she married a skilled race car mechanic who would introduce her to the rubber-burning world of road racing. Shortly after their wedding, she hopped in the driver’s seat and started racing with the best of ’em. Donning a pink polka dot helmet in her Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) races, she showed up the boys from inside Ferraris, Porsches, and Jaguars, winning race after race. Soon after she picked up a friend’s 200cc Triumph Tiger Cub, and a fire was breathed to life.
Getting into motorcycle racing posed its own set of challenges. Despite her successes on four wheels, the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) needed more reassurance of her skills in the saddle. After passing her skills test she became the first woman to earn an FIM racing license from the AFM in the States. This led to many historical moments for Mary. In a 1962 Motor Trend article titled, “Housewives Revolt!” the author wrote, “So ladies, if your life is dull and you are bored with freeway traffic, don’t give up. Buy a motorcycle and join Mary McGee.”
Mary’s life seems nothing short of movie-worthy when you learn how she got the idea to pick up off-road racing. A year after her feature in Motor Trend, she attended a New Year’s Eve party where the one and only Steve McQueen gave her a friendly hard time. “McGee, you’ve got to get off that pansy road-racing bike and come out to the desert,” he said. So she did! Her first foray into dirt racing took place in 1963 at the AMA District 37 Enduro in California. Then in 1968 she became the first woman to complete the Baja 1000. One of her proudest achievements came a few years later. In 1975, equipped with a 205cc Husqvarna and an unshakeable will, she finished the Baja 500 solo. “I did it, I finished. I think I was seventeenth,” she recalls. Her finish beat almost twenty two-man teams… even without working shocks for the last half of the race.
Racing in the Baja 500 is no easy feat even today, but in 1975 it came with a whole other set of challenges. Today there is still a whole lot of nothing out in the desert, but back then there was no electricity, doctors, or phones. “I carried Percodan in case of injury,” she said, “because you’d have to ride injured to get to someplace where someone has a car to get to Ensenada or La Paz or to a clinic or back to the States.” She said though she never had to use the painkillers, she did come off the bike more than once.
McGee has described herself as “fast on my feet, fast with my brain, self-conscious, and lacking confidence” but she had “no trouble with confidence on the racetrack.” It’s another example of how motorcycling and following your passion can boost personal growth and inspire others to find their happy place. She has been a passionate ambassador for motorcycle racing throughout her life, especially encouraging women in the industry.
Mary’s AMA Hall of Fame nomination letter said it well: “Her genuine love of people and her ability to communicate her love of motorcycling to others has won her fans throughout the world.”
As Mary puts it–
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Posted on June 12, 2024 in MotoLadies, News & Features by Alicia Mariah Elfving