Mert Lawwill, a legendary flat track racer and AMA Hall of Fame member, has died at 85. He was the 1969 AMA Grand National Champion and known for his role in the film *On Any Sunday*.
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Photo by AMA Archives.
Photo by AMA Archives.
Flat track racer and AMA Hall of Fame Legend Mert Lawwill has passed away at the age of 85. Lawwill won the 1969 AMA Grand National Championship and was a dirt track grand slam winner, holding victories in the Mile, TT, Half-Mile, and Short Track, and was featured in the classic 1971 film On Any Sunday, helping cement his status as a flat track icon.
Lawwill's influence extended beyond his racing career, which ended in 1977 after being diagnosed with an inner-ear disorder. Lawwill became a motorcycle frame builder and racing team owner. Using this motorcycle design experience, Lawwill began working with bicycles, and is credited with designing the world's first production mountain bike, the Lawwill Knight Pro Cruiser. This punched his ticket to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997.
The following year, Lawwill was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, and in 2012, the hall granted him Legend status for his accomplishments that transcend his induction category.
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The American Motorcyclist Association is saddened by the passing of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend Mert Lawwill and offers its condolences to his family and friends at this time. He was 85.
One of the most defining racers of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Lawwill left an undeniable mark on the motorcycling community. The 1969 AMA Grand National champion and star of the classic moto-film On Any Sunday, Lawwill became one of the most recognizable figures in motorcycling throughout his journey aboard two wheels.
Born in Boise, Idaho, in 1940, Lawwill was introduced to riding by his older brother, Roy, despite apprehension from his parents. Not long after, Lawwill began racing at the local TT track in Boise before expanding his racing efforts throughout the Northwest region, mainly finding his home in hare scrambles.
Capturing the attention of famed Harley-Davidson dealer Dudley Perkins, Lawwill moved to California to begin his professional racing career in 1963. Ultimately, Lawwill signed a factory contract with the brand in 1964 and would remain with Harley for the rest of his racing career.
Mert Lawwill won the 1969 AMA Grand National Championship and was a dirt track grand slam winner, achieving victories in various racing formats.
Mert Lawwill is credited with producing the first mountain bike, showcasing his influence beyond flat track racing.
The film *On Any Sunday*, released in 1971, featured Mert Lawwill and helped establish him as a flat track racing icon.
Mert Lawwill passed away at the age of 85, though the exact date of his death is not specified in the excerpt.
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Lawwill earned his first AMA Grand National victory at the Sacramento Mile in 1965, after registering a collection of podium finishes across his first two seasons of professional competition.
Four years later, Lawwill raced his way to the 1969 AMA Grand National championship and was voted AMA "Most Popular Rider of the Year" for his efforts that season.
Two years after his championship-winning season, Lawwill appeared in Bruce Brown's legendary moto-documentary On Any Sunday, where his AMA Grand National title defense during the 1970 campaign was put on display for a national audience.
In 1977, an inner-ear disorder that affected his balance caused Lawwill to retire from racing. Across his iconic racing career, he captured 15 AMA Grand National victories and amassed 161 AMA Grand National finishes. In this time, Lawwill completed the prestigious dirt track grand slam, winning at least one race in all four disciplines of dirt track racing - including the Mile, TT, Half-Mile and Short Track.
Following his racing career, Lawwill shifted his attention to designing and building frames for motorcycle race bikes. In 1997, he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, largely thanks to his work with Yeti Cycles. During this time, Lawwill also began production on his famed Mert Lawwill Street Tracker motorcycles, which were street-legal versions of the factory Harley-Davidson XR-750 flat track racers that he excelled on.
Inspired by his former teammate Chris Draayer, who lost his arm in a racing accident, Lawwill also used his engineering talents on the production of human prosthetics, developing a system that would help amputees ride motorcycles and bicycles again. Dubbed "Mert's Hands," this device was built around a ball-and-socket attachment that snapped onto the rider's handlebar to allow them to steer easily.
For all his contributions to the motorcycling community, Lawwill was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2012, Lawwill was granted AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend status, which is reserved for those whose accomplishments transcend their induction category in impactful ways throughout the motorcycle community.
Photo by AMA Pro Racing.
Photo by AMA Pro Racing.
AMA Pro Racing joins the entire flat track community in remembering Mert Lawwill, one of the most influential and respected figures in the history of the AMA Grand National Championship.
Lawwill, the 1969 AMA Grand National Champion and a 1998 inductee into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, was among the defining riders of American professional motorcycle racing's golden era. A factory Harley-Davidson rider for the majority of his career, Lawwill combined rare mechanical understanding with a smooth, determined riding style that made him one of the sport's most admired competitors.
Born September 25, 1940, in Boise, Idaho, Lawwill began racing on local TT tracks and in scrambles events across the Northwest before moving to California to pursue the sport at its highest level. After turning professional in 1963, he joined the Harley-Davidson factory team in 1964 and remained with the manufacturer throughout his professional racing career.
Lawwill earned his first AMA National victory at the famed Sacramento Mile in 1965. Four years later, he captured the 1969 AMA Grand National Championship, a season that placed him among the elite riders in one of the most demanding eras of the sport. He was also voted AMA's Most Popular Rider of the Year in 1969.
Over the course of his 15-year professional racing career, Lawwill amassed 161 AMA Grand National finishes and 15 AMA Grand National victories. His resume included wins across the diverse disciplines that defined the Grand National era, from TT and half-mile competition to the sport's iconic mile events.
Lawwill's fame reached well beyond the racetrack through Bruce Brown's landmark 1971 film On Any Sunday. The film helped introduce millions of viewers to the discipline, skill and humanity of motorcycle racers, while inspiring generations of riders and fans.
After retiring from professional racing in 1977 due to an inner-ear disorder that affected his balance, Lawwill continued to shape two-wheel competition through design and engineering. He became a respected motorcycle frame builder and later applied his knowledge of suspension, chassis dynamics and handling to mountain bikes. His work contributed to major advances in off-road bicycle design, and he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997.
Lawwill also devoted his ingenuity to helping others ride. Through his adaptive and prosthetic hand designs, he helped amputees and injured riders return to motorcycles and bicycles, extending his influence from championship racing to life-changing mobility.
Mert Lawwill's career embodied the full spirit of American flat track: courage, creativity, independence and relentless pursuit of speed. AMA Pro Racing remembers him not only as a Grand National Champion, but as a builder, pioneer, ambassador and beloved member of the racing family.