Mert Lawwill,
1940-2026
F
ormer AMA Grand National
Champion and AMA Motor-
cycle Hall of Fame Legend Mert
Lawwill died at age 85 on May 6.
A leading racer of the late
1960s and early 1970s, Lawwill
made a lasting impact on motor
-
cycling. As the 1969 AMA Grand
National champion and a star of
the iconic film On Any Sunday, he
became one of the most recog
-
nizable figures in the sport.
Born in Boise, Idaho, in 1940,
Lawwill was introduced to riding
by his older brother, Roy, despite
his parents' apprehension. Not
long after, Lawwill began racing
at the local TT track in Boise
and later expanded his racing ef
-
forts throughout the Northwest,
mainly finding his home in hare
scrambles.
In 1963, Lawwill moved to
California to kick off his profes
-
sional racing career, attracting
the attention of the renowned
Harley-Davidson dealer Dudley
Perkins. By 1964, he had signed
a factory contract with Har-
ley and stayed with the brand
throughout his entire racing
career.
Lawwill earned his first AMA
Grand National victory at the
Sacramento Mile in 1965, after
capturing a series of podium
finishes in his first two seasons
of professional competition.
Four years later, Lawwill won
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 champion
-
ship-winning season, Lawwill ap-
peared in Bruce Brown's legend-
ary 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
affecting his balance forced
Lawwill to retire from racing.
Throughout his iconic racing ca
-
reer, he captured 15 AMA Grand
National victories and amassed
161 AMA Grand National fin-
ishes. During that time, Lawwill
completed the prestigious dirt
track Grand Slam, winning at
least one race in each of the four
disciplines of dirt track racing:
Mile, TT, Half Mile and Short
Track.
After his racing career, Lawwill
turned to designing and build
-
ing frames for motorcycle race
bikes. In 1997, he was inducted
into the Mountain Bike Hall of
WIND
IN THE
P32
AMA Hall of Fame
Legend Mert Lawwill
passed away at the
age of 85.
