Mert Lawwill, 1969 AMA Champion, Star of “On Any Sunday,” Has Died

Mert Lawwill, 1969 AMA Champion, Has Died AMA Archive Mert Lawwill, 1969 AMA Grand National champion and star of the classic Bruce Brown motorcycle documentary On Any Sunday, passed away last week at 85. Lawwill was already an accomplished racer on dirt tracks across America when filmmaker Bruce Brown asked him to star in what would become the iconic motorcycle movie, On Any Sunday . He took the role, riding with Steve McQueen and fellow motorcycle great Malcolm Smith.

The movie changed public perception about motorcycles and those who rode them, going from the criminal elements of The Wild One to the more wholesome and serious riders like Lawwill. The son of a housepainter and a schoolteacher, Lawwill was one of seven children, his son, Joe Lawwill, wrote in a press release quoted in his hometown paper, The Idaho Statesman . A restless youth, Lawwill found his outlet when his brother Roy put him on the back of a motorcycle.

Despite apprehension from his parents, who thought all motorcyclists were Hell’s Angels, Lawwill began racing at the local TT track in Boise before expanding his racing efforts throughout the Northwest region, including in cross country events called hare scrambles. His success caught the attention of famed Harley-Davidson dealer Dudley Perkins, and Lawwill moved to California to begin his professional racing career in 1963, ultimately signing a factory contract with Harley in 1964. He would remain with the motorcycle manufacturer for the rest of his racing career.

Steve McQueen, Mert Lawwill, and Malcolm Smith in the iconic film On Any Sunday . Bruce Brown Films Lawwill earned his first AMA Grand National victory at the Sacramento Mile in 1965, AMA noted, 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.