Female racing pioneer ‘Motorcycle Mary’ McGee dies a day before documentary on her is released

The household said McGee died of complications from a changeable astatine her location successful Gardnerville, Nevada, connected Wednesday, the time earlier the merchandise of the abbreviated documentary “Motorcycle Mary” connected ESPN’s YouTube channel. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an enforcement shaper connected the film, which became disposable globally connected Thursday. Its premiere was astatine the Tribeca Festival successful June.

“Mary embodied resilience, grace, and optimism,” McGee’s household wrote connected societal media. “She was a historical jock and a motorsports pioneer who embraced life’s challenges, cared profoundly for others, and made clip to brighten the lives of those astir her. While we are profoundly saddened by this loss, we are comforted knowing that her airy volition proceed to radiance successful everyone she touched.”

McGee had an accomplished racing resume, archetypal successful car racing and aboriginal successful motorcycle racing. She became the archetypal idiosyncratic — antheral oregon pistillate — to implicit the grueling Baja 500 off-road contention successful Mexico solo, which she did successful 1975.

The movie astir her was directed by Haley Watson. Two-time Oscar victor Ben Proudfoot besides was an enforcement producer.

“I’m profoundly saddened by this news, but I americium comforted to cognize that Mary was surrounded by friends and household astatine the clip of her passing,” Watson said. “In aboriginal 2022, I was researching stories erstwhile I came crossed Mary’s. That find marked the tipping constituent into uncovering a overmuch larger and genuinely unthinkable vocation successful motorsports and beingness journey.”

Shortly aft her household announced her death, Hamilton paid tribute connected his Instagram account: “I’m profoundly saddened to perceive that Mary McGee, the archetypal pistillate to roadworthy contention motorcycles successful the U.S and the archetypal idiosyncratic to solo the Baja 500 has passed on,” Hamilton wrote. “My condolences to her household and everyone who she’s inspired. Her bequest volition unrecorded connected arsenic a trailblazer successful the satellite of motorsports and beyond.”

Born successful Juneau, Alaska, during World War II, McGee and her older member were sent to Iowa to unrecorded with their grandparents. Her member became a contention car operator and encouraged his sister to instrumentality up the sport, adjacent though it was astir unprecedented for women astatine that time.

Racing squad proprietor Vasek Polak persuaded McGee to thrust a Porsche Spyder, and she won races. Polak aboriginal persuaded her to effort motorcycle racing and she besides excelled.

Steve McQueen, the precocious histrion and racing enthusiast, was the 1 who persuaded McGee to instrumentality portion successful the Baja 500.

McGee was the archetypal pistillate to contention motocross successful the United States, the archetypal to vie successful an planetary motocross contention and the archetypal to person sponsorships from large brands.

She was 1 of the astir influential women successful the past of motorsports and known for her mentorship of different women successful racing.

McGee was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018.