Daytona Beach, FL (October 15, 2014) – Mert Lawwill won the 1969 Grand National Championship. In 1970 Bruce Brown produced
On Any Sunday featuring Mert’s bid to repeat the feat. Did Mert know he was going to be a star of that epic motorcycle film? He tells us all about that in this episode.
On Any Sunday made Mert and a host of other
Flat Track riders household names amongst
motorcyclists and a wider audience as well.
When Mert moved from Idaho to California to race motorcycles, little did he know how it would shape and mold his future. Racing at the Agajanian produced events at Ascot Park taught him much about many aspects of racing. He discovered that many of the competitors were modifying frames, so Mert began the process of frame modifications that ultimately led him to not only being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame but into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame as well.
His bicycle suspension has won a World Championship!
Is Mert the father of the Mountain Bike?
Winning the Grand National Championship and being in both of those Halls of Fame would be enough for most people, but not Mert. Tonight we will discuss his contribution to mankind with the creation of Mert’s Hands. The prosthetic hands and the soon to be released prosthetic arms will perhaps be his primary legacy.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Motorcycles with Barry Boone. We sincerely hope that you enjoy this conversation with one of the legends of our sport. Our goal is for you to learn things you can’t learn anywhere else when you listen to our show.
Rider Files 