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00:00:00 [Sound of a motorcycle engine]
00:00:22 Four million people ride motorcycles in the U.S.
00:00:24 They come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.
00:00:27 [Music]
00:00:56 [Music]
00:01:25 [Music]
00:01:31 To some people, a motorcycle is work.
00:01:34 Or a way to get to work.
00:01:37 Or a way to get away from it all through the solitude of the open country.
00:01:42 A motorcycle is whatever you want to make it.
00:01:45 Turn it on, you can give yourself a real thrill.
00:01:48 [Music]
00:01:59 A motorcycle is easy to ride, except the first time you try,
00:02:03 your next door neighbor, who probably doesn't know himself, is giving you the hot tips.
00:02:07 Brake, clutch, shift, throttle.
00:02:10 Just simple coordination.
00:02:12 [Music]
00:02:30 [Sound of a motorcycle engine]
00:02:33 [Music]
00:02:49 [Music]
00:03:16 [Music]
00:03:26 [Music]
00:03:36 [Music]
00:03:46 [Music]
00:03:56 [Music]
00:04:06 [Sound of a fire]
00:04:13 A group of businessmen during the rush hour.
00:04:16 The young man with a garment bag over his shoulder is Mert Lawill,
00:04:19 29 years old, 5'6", 143 pounds.
00:04:23 [Sound of a motorcycle engine]
00:04:28 He's not a banker, or an accountant, or a salesman,
00:04:32 but he is a professional man like the rest.
00:04:35 His profession? Motorcycle racer.
00:04:39 [Sound of a motorcycle engine]
00:04:48 [Music]
00:05:01 Mert makes his living in one of the most dangerous sports in which man participates.
00:05:06 His skill in the racetrack has earned him the right to carry the American Motorcycle Association
00:05:11 number one professional plate.
00:05:14 He won it by competing in a series of 27 national championship races
00:05:19 and scoring the highest number of points during the season.
00:05:22 [Music]
00:05:30 The speeds he hits are incredible. On the half-mile tracks, one of the races he rides,
00:05:35 it's 100 miles an hour in the straights and 80 in the corners within inches of posts and guardrails.
00:05:41 [Music]
00:05:57 He rides within inches of other riders he literally has to trust with his life.
00:06:02 Professional motorcycle racing is a violent world.
00:06:06 [Music]
00:06:35 [Sound of a baby crying]
00:06:38 Mert Lawil is a gentle man in a violent world.
00:06:42 [Sound of a baby crying]
00:06:47 His job as a professional racer takes him on the road about eight months of the year
00:06:51 following the national circuit.
00:06:55 He leaves his family and home in the suburb of San Francisco called Tiburon
00:06:59 to compete for another season in 27 national championship races across the United States.
00:07:05 [Sound of a car passing]
00:07:14 [Music]
00:07:22 He and the rest of the pros pilot their machines off starting lines in 16 states.
00:07:28 80 horsepower engines and 300 pound machines.
00:07:32 That would be like having 2,000 horsepower in your family car.
00:07:39 To win the number one plate, you have to ride five different kinds of races.
00:07:44 They each take different machines and different riding techniques.
00:07:51 There are several hundred professional AMA racers in the United States,
00:07:55 but there's only about 15 who have the ability to win Mert's number one plate.
00:08:00 The riders are guys like Mert, definitely not the Hollywood image,
00:08:04 but highly skilled professionals.
00:08:07 Like Dick Mann, a former number one.
00:08:09 Gary Nixon, twice number one.
00:08:12 Gene Romero.
00:08:14 Cal Rayburn.
00:08:17 Most are small, around 5'6" or 5'8", and most are young, like Mark Frelsford, 20.
00:08:23 Dave Smith, 21.
00:08:26 Dave Aldana, 20.
00:08:27 Don Castro, 19.
00:08:29 Keith Mashburn, 20.
00:08:31 Frank Gillespie, 22.
00:08:33 Jim Odom, 23.
00:08:36 Jim Rice, 23.
00:08:40 Watching them in slow motion, they look almost casual in their actions,
00:08:43 but they're doing over 100 miles an hour.
00:08:47 Number 24, Jim Rice.
00:08:49 Number 14N, the late Ken Presgrove.
00:08:53 They don't all make it through each racing season.
00:08:57 [motorcycle engine]
00:09:00 There are only a handful of people in the world who have the courage and skill
00:09:04 to ride a motorcycle like Mert and these professionals.
00:09:12 Even with their skill, they get into trouble.
00:09:14 The best thing to do to avoid a bad crash is to purposely lay the bike down,
00:09:18 like John Hateme is doing, at 80 miles an hour,
00:09:22 keeping us cool and checking traffic behind you.
00:09:27 In car racing, you can make some small mistakes, like spinning out.
00:09:31 In motorcycle racing, there's no such thing as a small mistake.
00:09:34 Even laying it down hurts, leathers and all.
00:09:41 Most riders can expect to lay it down several times a season.
00:09:45 Some of them are involved in some unbelievable crashes.
00:09:50 Keith Mashburn, number 30X, went right through a 4x4 fence.
00:09:54 [motorcycle engine]
00:10:00 Ten minutes later, he was picking the strut of his hair,
00:10:02 and ten minutes after that, he was back on the track,
00:10:05 letting it hang out further than ever.
00:10:07 If they didn't have the ability to shake it off and get back on the track,
00:10:11 they wouldn't be professional racers.
00:10:14 Michael Espey, a young California rider, had a bad one, too.
00:10:17 [motorcycle engine]
00:10:24 Down on a dusty track, and out with a broken shoulder.
00:10:28 Two weeks later, he's back, ready to race again, broken shoulder and all.
00:10:33 Gary Fisher is a good example of the incredible courage these racers have.
00:10:38 He was involved in a horrible crash in the Midwest.
00:10:44 [motorcycle engine]
00:11:03 Amazingly, all the riders got up.
00:11:06 Gary said he was all right.
00:11:08 An hour later, he was taken to the hospital with a broken back.
00:11:12 He soaked the cast off in the bathtub, put on a brace instead,
00:11:16 and within six weeks, would take the brace off and race.
00:11:21 [motorcycle engine]
00:11:29 To win or keep number one, you have to compete in different types of races.
00:11:33 For example, road racing, riding very special, highly tuned machines
00:11:37 with fairings to cut the wind.
00:11:40 Chin on a foam tank pad with very precise methods of throttle, clutch, and brake.
00:11:45 [motorcycle engine]
00:12:12 There are five road races in the early part of the season, from March to the first of June.
00:12:17 Road racing is noisy, precise, and very exacting.
00:12:21 It's also a graceful and beautiful thing to watch.
00:12:25 [motorcycle engine]
00:12:45 [music]
00:13:09 [music]
00:13:29 [music]
00:13:49 [music]
00:14:15 Of the five road races they ride, Daytona Beach, Florida, is the big daddy,
00:14:20 with 30-degree bank turns and blinding speed.
00:14:24 [motorcycle engine]
00:14:35 On the banks, there's so much centrifugal force, your suspension is completely bottomed out.
00:14:40 Your helmet's banging around, your eyes are forced into their sockets, and your vision is blurred.
00:14:46 [motorcycle engine]
00:14:54 When you're watching from the stands, it's hard to believe that coming off the banks,
00:14:58 they're hitting 160 miles an hour.
00:15:01 [motorcycle engine]
00:15:15 All on the track!
00:15:17 [music]
00:15:30 Try jumping out of your car at 120, and you'll know how he felt.
00:15:35 Miraculously, he didn't break a bone.
00:15:38 Watch again in ultra-slow motion, and you can see the abuse he took.
00:15:42 His glove goes flying 30 feet down the track,
00:15:46 takes a tremendous jolt.
00:15:48 [motorcycle engine]
00:15:53 Watch his right leg get bent under.
00:15:55 [motorcycle engine]
00:15:58 It's amazing he didn't break.
00:16:00 [music]
00:16:14 Like all forms of racing, road racing is precise.
00:16:17 It's got a certain beauty to it, and it's also very dangerous.
00:16:23 This is the mile, the most incredible of all dirt track racing.
00:16:28 On the straight, Mert hits 130 miles an hour,
00:16:32 and around 100 sliding the corners.
00:16:35 [motorcycle engine]
00:16:38 Mert's teammate, and kind of protege, Mark Brelsford, number 87.
00:16:43 Mark is spectacular on the mile.
00:16:46 [motorcycle engine]
00:16:53 Most riders agree the biggest thrill of all is to sit up at the end of the straight
00:16:57 and at 120, pitch it sideways.
00:17:00 [motorcycle engine]
00:17:17 Mark laid out, feet up, out of the turn, 100, 110, 120,
00:17:25 and back down the straight, tucked in to reduce the wind resistance.
00:17:30 [motorcycle engine]
00:17:34 [music]
00:17:37 When Mert's not racing, he's working on his machines.
00:17:40 After each race, the engine is torn down and inspected piece by piece.
00:17:45 It's a lot more complicated than twisting nuts and bolts.
00:17:49 For instance, each gear in the transmission is ground down by hand
00:17:53 to save a few ounces of weight.
00:17:56 [music]
00:18:00 If he can get a fraction of an ounce off this cam follower,
00:18:03 he can pick up a few extra RPMs, and that's an edge over the others.
00:18:08 He spends hours alone in his garage,
00:18:11 trying to figure out a way to improve an engine part.
00:18:14 [music]
00:18:25 Only another professional racer who maintains his own equipment, like Mert,
00:18:29 can really appreciate the work involved.
00:18:31 He spends over a thousand hours a year working on his motorcycles.
00:18:35 [music]
00:18:44 It's off to Columbus, Ohio,
00:18:46 one of ten cross-country trips Mert makes during the eight-month racing season.
00:18:51 He drives his van over 70,000 miles a year,
00:18:55 traveling with his friend and helper, Jack Dunn.
00:18:59 They don't stay in motels, but drive 24 hours a day,
00:19:02 stopping only to eat and refuel.
00:19:05 [music]
00:19:07 Mert is totally dedicated to his profession.
00:19:10 He works at it seven days a week.
00:19:13 He doesn't have time for many outside interests.
00:19:16 Motorcycle racing is his life.
00:19:19 He grossed about $50,000 the year before,
00:19:22 ended up with about $20,000 after expenses.
00:19:26 That's good money, but not what it should be
00:19:29 for the skill, knowledge, and dedication he has,
00:19:32 let alone the risks.
00:19:34 [music]
00:19:36 For most people, San Francisco to Columbus, Ohio, would be four days.
00:19:41 For Mert and Jack, 27 hours nonstop.
00:19:45 They don't arrive a day early and relax.
00:19:48 The pit gates open at 8.30.
00:19:50 They arrive at 8.30.
00:19:52 [music]
00:19:58 An hour later, after driving all night,
00:20:00 he's on the track going sideways at 80 miles an hour.
00:20:04 [music]
00:20:19 Before each race, there's about an hour of practice.
00:20:22 They aren't practicing riding,
00:20:24 they're experimenting with frame geometry,
00:20:26 gearing, and tires most suitable for this track.
00:20:30 There's a lot more to racing than holding the throttle wide open.
00:20:34 Tires alone are an exact science to them,
00:20:37 with different rubber compounds and different tread designs.
00:20:41 Even a pound or two difference in air pressure
00:20:44 makes a difference in handling.
00:20:46 Before each race, they cut their tires with razor blades
00:20:49 for added traction.
00:20:51 Each rider has special cuts, and they change from hour to hour
00:20:54 depending on the condition of the dirt.
00:20:57 [music]
00:21:01 There are many things to attend to before a race,
00:21:03 like taping on these clear plastic strips called tear-offs.
00:21:07 Some riders stack up five or six and rip them off one by one
00:21:11 as the flying dirt sticks and obscures their vision.
00:21:15 It's got to be a real thrill just to reach up
00:21:19 and find that tab at 100 miles an hour.
00:21:22 [music]
00:21:27 The last thing they strap on before a race is their steel skid shoe,
00:21:31 custom-made for each rider,
00:21:33 with the shape of the bottom sliding surface
00:21:35 varied to suit the rider's style.
00:21:38 [music]
00:21:44 The 20-lap half-mile in Columbus, Ohio.
00:21:48 Merted won the race two years in a row.
00:21:50 A win today would put him in good shape
00:21:53 to keep his number one plate another year.
00:21:56 A $6,000 purse and 60 points, Mert wanted both.
00:22:02 On the starting line, watching for a flicker of movement
00:22:05 from the flagman, he's like a gunfighter.
00:22:08 No show of emotion, not even a blink.
00:22:11 Total concentration.
00:22:14 [music]
00:22:24 [airplane engine]
00:22:54 Mert was riding beautifully, stretching out his lead.
00:22:57 He'd done everything right.
00:22:59 He'd chosen the right tire.
00:23:01 He'd picked up those extra few RPMs
00:23:03 by grinding down his cam follower.
00:23:06 His machine was perfectly set up,
00:23:08 and he was riding like the national champ he is.
00:23:12 [airplane engine]
00:23:18 The crowd sensing victory and urging him on.
00:23:22 On the last lap, the pack came around, but no Mert.
00:23:27 Here he came in last place out of the race
00:23:30 with a broken throttle cable, a $2 part.
00:23:35 It cost him the 60 points he needed,
00:23:38 and his share of the purse, instead of several thousand,
00:23:42 was $116.
00:23:46 It was a pretty disappointing day.
00:23:49 [music]
00:23:54 It would be tough with the races left
00:23:56 to earn enough points to keep number one.
00:24:02 By Monday, Mert was back on the road heading for more races
00:24:05 and hitting the gourmet restaurants along the way.
00:24:09 You may survive the race, but not the restaurant.
00:24:13 [airplane engine]
00:24:18 Mert went on to win three national races.
00:24:21 He greatly enjoys the things that come with winning.
00:24:25 [music]
00:24:30 What followed him through the season
00:24:32 was an unbelievable string of bad luck.
00:24:35 He broke down in nearly half the championship races,
00:24:39 often little things like a throttle cable
00:24:41 or an electrical short or a tire tread coming off.
00:24:46 Here at Terre Haute, Indiana, with a half a lap lead,
00:24:49 Jack Dunn just knew something would happen.
00:24:53 And it did, Mert pulling off with a broken crankshaft.
00:24:57 [music]
00:25:02 He'd brake, bounce back, brake again, race again,
00:25:07 but now it was too late.
00:25:09 With the races left to run, there was no way Mert
00:25:12 could earn enough points to regain his number one plate.
00:25:16 [music]
00:25:23 The plate he'd ridden 12 years to win
00:25:25 and had one season he'd now have to give to someone else.
00:25:29 There were four riders who had enough points
00:25:31 to have a shot at ending up number one.
00:25:34 One was Mert's best friend, Dick "Bugsy" Mann, number two,
00:25:37 the veteran of the circuit.
00:25:38 Not only excels at each of the five AMA events,
00:25:41 but is highly skilled in motocross as well.
00:25:44 There's no one who's more respected by his fellow riders
00:25:47 and the fans than Dick Mann.
00:25:50 On the VSA number two, Dick "Bugsy" Mann.
00:25:53 [applause]
00:25:56 The second rider who could win the number one plate,
00:25:59 one of the youngest, 20-year-old Dave Aldana,
00:26:02 his first year as professional expert.
00:26:05 David Aldana, the crazy kid from Santa Ana, California.
00:26:09 [music]
00:26:12 Off the track, he's conservative compared to his action on the track.
00:26:16 [music]
00:26:21 He crashed 15 times during the year at speeds up to 120 miles an hour
00:26:26 and was never hurt.
00:26:28 David said, "You never know how fast you can go until you fall down."
00:26:32 If he didn't crash, he often won.
00:26:36 The third rider in contention was Gene Romero.
00:26:39 Gene's nickname is Burrito.
00:26:40 He's the most flamboyant of all the professional racers,
00:26:43 but is very serious about his racing,
00:26:45 particularly late in the season when he wanted the points for number one.
00:26:50 [music]
00:26:52 [motorcycle engine]
00:26:57 I don't want to hurt anybody, but I just want to get out there
00:26:59 and I got to get third no matter what.
00:27:01 [motorcycle engine]
00:27:03 Why? Is it going to be either one?
00:27:05 I got to get third or come and visit me at the hospital.
00:27:07 I dig carnations, man.
00:27:09 [motorcycle engine]
00:27:11 The fourth and final rider who could be number one was Jim Rice.
00:27:15 Jim, the winningest rider on the circuit,
00:27:17 had taken the checkered flag six times,
00:27:19 as many times as anyone ever had in a season.
00:27:23 The number one plate would be decided at Sacramento, California in September.
00:27:30 [motorcycle engine]
00:27:34 Quite different from the national circuit is the on any Sunday world of motocross.
00:27:39 [motorcycle engine]
00:27:47 A motocross track is uphill, downhill, jumps, bumps, mud, rocks, and dust.
00:27:52 The rougher the better.
00:27:54 [motorcycle engine]
00:28:06 Competition is still the name of the game.
00:28:08 It doesn't matter whether you're battling for first or 31st, it's just as fierce.
00:28:14 Here's a classic confrontation for 10th place.
00:28:17 The guy in the yellow figures he'll zap his buddy through the puddle
00:28:21 and cover his glasses with mud and water so he can't see,
00:28:24 and that'll put him behind.
00:28:26 But his pal just threw away his $40 prescription lenses
00:28:30 and passed him right back again on the corner.
00:28:33 [drumming]
00:28:42 When some riders start getting behind, they panic and try a shortcut through the giggle weeds.
00:28:48 When they can no longer race, it's simple frustration.
00:28:51 [music]
00:28:58 Getting your bike stuck in the mud is bad enough.
00:29:01 Getting your body stuck in the mud is the worst.
00:29:04 [music]
00:29:08 Especially when it's your girlfriend who has to dig you out.
00:29:11 [music]
00:29:23 Everyone makes mistakes riding motocross, even world champion Ben Albert,
00:29:27 here, going over the handlebars.
00:29:29 Somehow when Albert gets off, he does it with a certain style and grace.
00:29:33 Everyone crashes now and then, but not often with style and grace.
00:29:38 More often, the classic flying W.
00:29:41 [music]
00:30:01 [music]
00:30:13 Yahoo!
00:30:15 Yahoo!
00:30:17 [music]
00:30:40 [music]
00:31:09 Missing a turn and going off the course is a common error.
00:31:13 The classic was this guy, running eighth, who cut the course and nailed his buddy running third.
00:31:20 [music]
00:31:37 You wonder how they get into the positions they do.
00:31:41 The one kid who was laughing so hard, he got stomach cramps.
00:31:45 [music]
00:31:59 Thousands of riders compete in motocross in the United States.
00:32:03 One of them is Steve McQueen.
00:32:06 On the starting line, he's not an actor out for a ride.
00:32:09 He's 100% motorcycle racer.
00:32:12 [motorcycle engine]
00:32:23 There's no one with a more competitive instinct.
00:32:25 When he gets on his race face, the world could be falling down around him,
00:32:29 but all he sees is the track.
00:32:31 [motorcycle engine]
00:32:37 A $1 million body out there, with the possibility of being used by someone for traction in a corner.
00:32:44 If the movie studio moguls realized what he was doing on a Sunday afternoon, they'd have a coronary.
00:32:50 [music]
00:33:04 The two best motocross riders in the world are Ben Alberg, 500cc world champion from Sweden,
00:33:10 and Joël Robert, 250cc world champion from Belgium.
00:33:15 Joël Robert, number 17, is a national sports hero in Belgium.
00:33:20 [music]
00:33:26 Motocross races in Europe sometimes draw crowds of over 100,000 people.
00:33:31 In Joël's home country of Belgium, fans have been known to lay on the track in front of other riders to help Joël win.
00:33:39 Except he doesn't need any help.
00:33:42 [music]
00:33:50 With the number one plate, Swede Ben Alberg, 500cc world champion.
00:33:55 His riding skill is unbelievable, here using power to straighten himself out.
00:34:01 Scientific tests have been made, and motocross was found to be the second most physically demanding sport in the world,
00:34:08 following only soccer.
00:34:10 After 30 minutes of racing, even a rider in perfect condition like Ben Alberg is almost totally exhausted.
00:34:16 He's got maybe an hour to rest between races, then do it again, three times a day.
00:34:22 [music]
00:34:28 Motocross races run in all kinds of weather.
00:34:32 It's a race against the other man, but even more, it's man's battle against the course itself.
00:34:39 There's a certain brutal beauty to motocross that you can only see in slow motion.
00:34:46 [music]
00:34:56 [music]
00:35:06 [music]
00:35:16 [music]
00:35:26 [music]
00:35:36 [music]
00:35:46 [music]
00:35:56 [music]
00:36:06 [music]
00:36:26 The classic example of the Sunday competitor who rides for fun with his usual ear-to-ear grin is Malcolm Smith.
00:36:34 The only thing different between Malcolm and the rest of the Sunday competitors is Malcolm rides a greater variety of events,
00:36:40 something different almost every Sunday.
00:36:43 He seems to enjoy it more than anyone, and he's also the best.
00:36:47 [music]
00:36:53 Back in 1968, when being interviewed by Wide World of Sports about his amazing performance the year before in the Mexican 1000,
00:37:01 he didn't talk about how tough it was. Instead, typical Malcolm.
00:37:06 Did you have any adventures during that nine hours and something last year in this wild country?
00:37:11 No, it was easy going down, but it was hard coming back.
00:37:14 We had an old Volkswagen that a friend of mine drove down there, my co-driver this year,
00:37:20 and we started back and it gave up on us, and we rode on a turtle truck with live sea turtles
00:37:26 on the top of the turtles all the way for five days.
00:37:30 On the top of the live turtles?
00:37:31 Top of the live turtles. It smelled very bad all the way back.
00:37:35 On the starting line, most riders are nervous. Malcolm's usually got a smile.
00:37:39 [music]
00:37:43 Of the many events Malcolm rides, he's particularly outstanding in the rugged off-road races like the Mint 400,
00:37:50 a 400-mile race through the desert near Las Vegas.
00:37:54 It's like riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles through the roughest imaginable terrain and averaging 50 miles an hour.
00:38:01 [music]
00:38:03 The race goes on night and day, and when it's all over and the other riders are almost in shock from exhaustion,
00:38:09 there stands Malcolm in the middle of the night with a big grin.
00:38:13 [music]
00:38:16 Malcolm is king of the Mexican 1000, a 1,000-mile off-road race down the peninsula of Baja California, Mexico.
00:38:23 He goes so fast he should be in a class by himself.
00:38:26 One year he drove a dune buggy to see what that was like and was running second before he broke down.
00:38:31 Here again at a pit stop, he didn't say dust, tough, tired. Instead, typical Malcolm.
00:38:38 Looks like you're having a good time, Malcolm.
00:38:40 Oh, great. Lots of fun.
00:38:42 See any incidents out there? Any problems?
00:38:44 No, no.
00:38:45 Let's turn around this way for just a second.
00:38:46 Only one I ever see is Larry Berkwist.
00:38:49 Yeah, they're up ahead of you still.
00:38:51 Yeah, we know. We can't keep up with that motorcycle.
00:38:54 [music]
00:38:56 He couldn't keep up with the motorcycle that year, but every other year,
00:38:59 the lone dust cloud across Lake Chapala was Malcolm Smith and his motorcycle.
00:39:05 [music]
00:39:08 He never failed to lead.
00:39:10 One year he was two hours ahead of the next machine at the halfway point and rode the final 200 miles on a flat front tire.
00:39:18 The rougher and tougher the event, the more skill and human endurance it takes, the better Malcolm likes it.
00:39:26 As he would say himself, "That was really neat."
00:39:30 [music]
00:39:34 El Escorial, Spain, near Madrid, the site of the international six-day trial, the ultimate test of man and machine.
00:39:42 The six-day trials is the Olympic Games of motorcycle sport, held for the 45th year.
00:39:48 348 riders from 16 countries have gathered to compete, among them Malcolm Smith.
00:39:55 Here getting his bike inspected and marked prior to the first day.
00:40:00 Each part of the motorcycle is marked with a special paint.
00:40:03 In six days of riding, no parts can be changed without being disqualified.
00:40:09 Even internal engine parts are marked and the engine is sealed.
00:40:15 The only parts that can be changed are control cables, chains, tires, and tubes.
00:40:21 At 6.45 in the morning, the first of the riders get underway.
00:40:25 They leave four per minute.
00:40:27 The colors on their helmets denote the rider's country.
00:40:30 Germans in white, Spanish in yellow, Italians red, English green, Czechoslovakians in blue, the Swedes with yellow and blue.
00:40:44 Malcolm number 242 would be starting on the 60th minute.
00:40:49 Of all the events Malcolm rides, this is the only one he takes very seriously.
00:40:54 [clock ticking]
00:41:01 [clanking]
00:41:04 [engine revving]
00:41:10 There's no prize money involved.
00:41:12 The top prize for an individual rider is a gold medal.
00:41:15 Off goes Malcolm and 348 others through the countryside of Spain, the beginning of a grueling adventure.
00:41:22 [bells ringing]
00:41:25 The concept of the event is quite simple, to ride about 200 miles per day for six straight days and keep on a prescribed time schedule.
00:41:33 The trouble is none but the best can keep up the time schedule and these riders are the best in the world.
00:41:39 It's an honor just to be selected to ride the six days.
00:41:43 [music]
00:41:48 You go through a series of checkpoints each day.
00:41:51 You can get there early but you can't clock through until your prescribed minute.
00:41:55 You lose one mark for each minute you're late to any checkpoint.
00:41:59 In all there are 65 time checks.
00:42:02 If you're only one minute late to any one of these, you lose a mark.
00:42:06 To win a gold medal you can't lose a single mark in six days of riding.
00:42:12 It's hard to appreciate the difficulty of the six days without being there.
00:42:16 It's hard to realize just how long six days on a motorcycle really is.
00:42:21 [music]
00:42:25 The best riders are usually the Europeans. Most are paid a salary year-round to ride.
00:42:30 A gold medal at the six day trials sells a lot of motorcycles in Europe.
00:42:35 Malcolm isn't paid, in fact he pays all his own expenses just to go over there and compete.
00:42:41 During the competition the temperatures range from 80 degrees to 20 degrees.
00:42:46 [music]
00:42:49 They went from 2,000 feet to over 8,000 feet riding in the clouds in the mountains of Spain.
00:42:56 [music]
00:42:58 Of the 1,200 miles the event covers, about 800 of it is trails like this.
00:43:04 It may last for 40 miles.
00:43:07 On the footpeg maneuvering like six days on a bongo board,
00:43:12 the speed average, 24 miles an hour, but very few can keep it up.
00:43:18 [music]
00:43:21 All work in the machine must be done by the contestant himself with no outside help.
00:43:27 The bikes are locked up except during the time you're riding against the clock.
00:43:31 The only time to make repairs or adjustments is if you can get ahead of schedule and stop to do it.
00:43:38 If you can't change a tire in four minutes, you're not competitive in the six day trials.
00:43:43 The only tools you can use for anything are what you carry with you.
00:43:47 [music]
00:43:50 If anyone hands you a tool or helps you in any way, you're disqualified.
00:43:55 If you keep your bike together, change tires fast enough, keep on time and lose no marks,
00:44:01 you still haven't won a gold medal.
00:44:03 You have to compete in a series of special tests at the end of each day's riding.
00:44:08 One is this 200 meter acceleration test.
00:44:11 Clock top speed at the end earns needed bonus points.
00:44:15 Except there's a sound meter in that tent and if you make too much noise going by,
00:44:20 bonus points are subtracted instead of added.
00:44:23 [music]
00:44:29 Another special test at the end of each day is a five mile time cross country loop.
00:44:34 Sort of a motocross against the clock.
00:44:37 The fastest times earn the most bonus points.
00:44:40 And to earn enough bonus points for a gold medal, you have to be in the top 30%.
00:44:46 The motorcycles have mufflers and lights which are under the number plate.
00:44:50 You can be stopped at any time and have your light checked.
00:44:53 If it doesn't work, you have to stay there until you make it work.
00:44:57 [music]
00:44:59 In the special test, Malcolm has to go fast, but not too fast.
00:45:03 He's got to save the machine, he's got to save his body.
00:45:07 There are more days to come.
00:45:09 [music]
00:45:15 Day after day, Malcolm left in the morning chill from El Escorial.
00:45:19 Stiff and sore, but on time.
00:45:22 [music]
00:45:26 Each day he left to do battle with the clock and the elements of Spain.
00:45:30 Mostly fatigue in his face, but on time.
00:45:34 The six days, more than any event, test a man's all around ability.
00:45:39 His riding, his endurance, mechanical skill,
00:45:43 and his ability to think clearly when tremendously fatigued.
00:45:47 If you do everything right, don't make one mistake in six days,
00:45:51 you win this gold medal.
00:45:54 Malcolm won one in Poland, he won one in Germany,
00:45:57 and he won this one in El Escorial, Spain.
00:46:01 [music]
00:46:08 Back in the United States, what's Malcolm do?
00:46:10 Heads for another motorcycle race with his friend Steve McQueen.
00:46:15 The event is the Elsinore Grand Prix.
00:46:20 Fifteen hundred motorcyclists line up in the main street waiting for the start.
00:46:25 [music]
00:46:40 Fifteen hundred riders and fifty thousand spectators fill the little town.
00:46:46 It's a hundred mile race through the streets of the city
00:46:49 and into the foothills outside of town.
00:46:52 The average age of the two thousand Elsinore residents is sixty years old,
00:46:57 and it's the only town in America that welcomes such an event.
00:47:00 The residents love it, and so do the riders.
00:47:03 [music]
00:47:10 Malcolm will be starting in the second row,
00:47:13 Steve starting in the fourth row.
00:47:17 Held back by a rope, riders leave at ten second intervals, ten abreast.
00:47:22 It was supposed to be ten second intervals, but it got a lot shorter than that.
00:47:27 You could tell the most eager riders by the rope burns on their neck.
00:47:32 [music]
00:47:44 By the time the race was two miles old, Malcolm passing the last rider and taking the lead.
00:47:53 It had rained a few days before and there was a big puddle.
00:47:57 As the pack came thundering through, the water puddle turned into a mud puddle.
00:48:02 Then it turned into a mud hole.
00:48:05 The first two hundred riders made it through, but for the thirteen hundred yet to come, it was all stop.
00:48:12 [music]
00:48:33 There's no money involved in the race, a trophy for the winner.
00:48:37 In fact, they pay a fifteen dollar entry fee for the honor of riding.
00:48:42 [music]
00:48:45 While they were getting out of the mud hole, Malcolm had opened up a commanding lead.
00:48:49 [music]
00:48:56 Malcolm rides so smoothly and effortlessly, he doesn't appear to be going very fast.
00:49:00 He is. There's fourteen hundred and ninety-nine riders behind him.
00:49:05 When he came back through town at the end of the first lap, he was so far ahead, there were no other riders in sight.
00:49:12 [music]
00:49:26 With the rest of the riders thundering through town, it was sport for the spectators to see if they could get across the street before they got run over by a motorcycle.
00:49:33 [music]
00:49:42 Everyone rides Elsinore. If there's one event you ride a year, it's usually the Elsinore Grand Prix.
00:49:46 People of all ages, girls, the pig farmer from Murrieta.
00:49:50 [music]
00:49:54 There's only about two hundred riders who are seriously competitive. For the rest, it's a great Sunday adventure.
00:49:59 Doing wheelies through town to dazzle their friends, bouncing off any object in sight,
00:50:04 missing half the corners, and ripping out ten miles of banners and dragging them back through town.
00:50:11 [music]
00:50:14 The people of Elsinore can't believe what's going on in their town.
00:50:18 [music]
00:50:25 They pull a chair up in their front yard and have a grandstand seat.
00:50:29 [music]
00:50:53 Number 48, Steve McQueen, entered under the name of Harvey Mushman.
00:50:58 But it didn't take long for the spectators to figure out who number 48 really was.
00:51:03 [music]
00:51:05 She was dazzled, but her husband wasn't too impressed.
00:51:09 Yeah, I could do that.
00:51:11 [music]
00:51:15 Steve really earned the respect of his fellow riders. Some of them didn't realize what a good rider he really is.
00:51:21 His car racing experience gives him the ability to pick the perfect line through the corners.
00:51:26 [music]
00:51:40 In the subsequent Elsinore race, Steve crashed, broke his foot, got up and finished eighth, broken foot and all.
00:51:47 [music]
00:51:56 It was Malcolm Smith's day. When Malcolm passes you, it's a mistake to try and stay with him.
00:52:01 [music]
00:52:07 In the lead, but still time for a wave to a friend beside the course.
00:52:11 [music]
00:52:17 Malcolm's got an uncanny sense for doing the right thing.
00:52:20 Here, swerving off the course through a hole in the barbed wire fence and around the now cleaned out mud hole.
00:52:26 [music]
00:52:33 Back through the fence again without missing a beat and passing six guys in the process.
00:52:39 [music]
00:52:45 What's a guy who rides motorcycles every Sunday do for a living? Malcolm owns a motorcycle shop.
00:52:51 [music]
00:53:00 In ten laps, Malcolm passed 7,000 riders, some of them three times.
00:53:07 Malcolm almost never makes a bobble or a mistake.
00:53:11 It's about 200 feet down off the side of the road.
00:53:14 [music]
00:53:33 When it was all over, it was Malcolm Smith. There he stood in the pits with his ear-to-ear grin.
00:53:39 He didn't even look tired.
00:53:42 Steve turned in a great ride, finishing 10th overall,
00:53:45 riding against the best riders in the country for this kind of event.
00:53:49 Every time I start thinking the world is all bad,
00:53:52 then I start seeing some people out there having a good time on motorcycles,
00:53:55 and it makes me take another look.
00:53:57 That was good fun.
00:53:59 [music]
00:54:03 There are a lot of things that are good fun on a motorcycle, like sidecar racing,
00:54:07 so specialized that only about 200 people do it in the United States.
00:54:12 [music]
00:54:16 The passenger is called the monkey. He's usually flat on one side.
00:54:20 [music]
00:54:33 Motorcycle drag racing is another highly specialized form of competition.
00:54:38 [music]
00:54:46 They hit speeds of 160 miles an hour in the quarter mile.
00:54:50 [music]
00:54:55 Before they leave the line, they burn their tires to get them hot and sticky for better traction.
00:55:00 This guy was going to donate his lungs to the Mayo Clinic.
00:55:05 Special machines and riders who usually specialize in nothing but drag racing.
00:55:10 It's won or lost in a hundredth of a second at the finish or even at the start.
00:55:14 [music]
00:55:21 Probably the least number of people in all of motorcycle sport race their motorcycles on ice.
00:55:27 Quebec City, Canada is the site of one.
00:55:31 The fans try to stay alive in the 10 degree below zero weather.
00:55:35 [music]
00:55:41 The riders wear leather masks to keep their faces from freezing and protect them from cuts,
00:55:46 from flying ice off the track.
00:55:50 Two inch spikes in the tires for traction on the ice.
00:55:55 Before a race, they have to be wondering.
00:55:58 It would be like getting run over by a buzz saw.
00:56:02 [music]
00:56:06 If you go down, the main thought is to get off the track because there's more buzz saws coming.
00:56:12 This guy set a world record for a 20 foot crawl on his hands and knees.
00:56:17 [music]
00:56:20 They hit tremendous speeds on this half mile ice track, 22nd lap times averaging almost 80.
00:56:26 [music]
00:56:30 Absolutely no wheel spin with those spiked tires.
00:56:34 They ride with different styles, some foot down, dirt track style, others slide on the knee on a hockey pad.
00:56:43 There's only about 50 or 60 people who ice race in North America and only a couple of big ice races a year.
00:56:50 It's popular in certain parts of Europe, especially Russia.
00:56:56 Ice racing in Canada, 10 degrees below zero in the middle of a snowstorm.
00:57:04 [wind]
00:57:09 From 10 degrees below to 115 degrees above at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah,
00:57:15 where once again, men on motorcycles compete, trying to set speed records.
00:57:20 Once a year, they have Speed Week for motorcycles.
00:57:23 There's about 200 different classes and anyone with a two wheel machine gets into the act.
00:57:28 Some of the bikes are a little strange.
00:57:30 This guy had a 60 horsepower skateboard and steel kneecaps.
00:57:37 Some guy got an old bomb and put a motor in it. Didn't handle very well.
00:57:45 From the backyard specials to the exotically engineered and computer designed streamlined bikes.
00:57:55 There was a fellow named Cal Rayburn, a professional racer,
00:57:58 who was going to make an assault on the motorcycle land speed record of 250 miles an hour.
00:58:03 He was going to drive one of those slide rule super engineered specials.
00:58:08 He lost a little faith in the computers and engineers when he got in and found out an interesting thing.
00:58:14 He didn't fit.
00:58:18 I think Cal was beginning to have some second thoughts.
00:58:21 He kept saying, "You guys are nuts."
00:58:26 They said his helmet visor must be too big, so they sawed it off.
00:58:30 That way it wouldn't dig into his chest.
00:58:33 It didn't dig into his chest, but his chin still did.
00:58:37 In this position, he was supposed to try and go faster than anyone ever had with a motorcycle
00:58:42 over 250 miles an hour.
00:58:46 Once the lid was in place, he found out interesting point number two, he couldn't see out.
00:58:52 His feet were too big and blocked his view out the front window,
00:58:55 and his knee blocked his view out the side.
00:58:58 So all he had to do was peer out the side window over his knee
00:59:02 and follow this black line painted on the salt at anything over 250.
00:59:09 Late in the afternoon, they launched him and he found out interesting point number three,
00:59:14 it didn't handle very well at six miles an hour.
00:59:17 [music]
00:59:31 He kept saying, "You guys are nuts," but he was driving.
00:59:36 After a week of trying and crashes from six to 206,
00:59:40 Calvin finally set a new motorcycle land speed record of over 265 miles an hour.
00:59:47 The steering changed with the speed.
00:59:49 Under 100, turn right to go right.
00:59:52 100 to 200, turn left to go right.
00:59:56 And over 200, back to normal again.
00:59:59 [music]
01:00:26 [music]
01:00:30 The mile track at Sacramento, California.
01:00:34 This is where the number one plate will be decided.
01:00:38 A $12,000 purse, but more important to Dick Mann, Dave Aldana, Gene Romero, and Jim Rice,
01:00:46 101 points, enough to make any of them number one.
01:00:53 All the riders were there, but the pressure was on the four.
01:00:58 If Dave Aldana won, it would be the first time a first-year expert ever had.
01:01:03 Romero was not his usual laughing self.
01:01:07 Jim Rice was off alone, walking in the track.
01:01:14 Dick Mann arrived.
01:01:16 He'd broken his leg in a race only three weeks before, and no one expected him to compete.
01:01:22 But he'd sawed off his cast and was going to try.
01:01:29 He jammed his swollen leg into his boot and steel shoe, went out on the track, and won his heat race.
01:01:37 [music]
01:01:44 Mert won the second heat.
01:01:46 Gene Romero the third, with Dave Aldana transferring to the point-paying main by finishing third in his heat.
01:01:53 The first four riders in each heat transferred to the main event.
01:01:59 Jim Rice, number 24, playing it cool in the final heat and transferring.
01:02:05 After the finish, at 120 miles an hour.
01:02:08 [music]
01:02:33 [siren]
01:02:39 [music]
01:03:07 [music]
01:03:14 An hour later, they lined up for the main event.
01:03:17 [music]
01:03:35 Jim Rice was getting out of the ambulance and was going to try and ride the race.
01:03:40 [siren]
01:03:45 In a lot of pain with a bandana covering his broken nose, Jim quietly took his place on the line with the rest.
01:03:52 [music]
01:04:17 And down the back chute at 125 miles an hour.
01:04:22 [announcer]
01:04:29 It was Dave Aldana.
01:04:31 The race was black flagged.
01:04:35 Aldana's bike was completely totaled, but David, as he had all year, walked away unhurt.
01:04:41 But he also walked away from any chance of being number one.
01:04:44 No way he could break the three-minute restart rule.
01:04:47 [engines roaring]
01:04:54 The restart was a carbon copy of the first.
01:04:58 Murden fourth, working his way back to third. Romero second, Mann first.
01:05:02 [engines roaring]
01:05:06 [announcer]
01:05:11 And Romero again getting by Dick Mann in exactly the same place.
01:05:15 [announcer]
01:05:18 Jim Rice running in last place.
01:05:22 Ten laps later, the field spreading out, Romero further ahead and Rice dropping further back, his bike running poorly,
01:05:29 and Jim just too physically shaken to be competitive.
01:05:32 It's amazing he tried to ride at all.
01:05:37 On the 20th lap, Dick Mann pulled in. He caught his shoe in a hole and was in too much pain to continue.
01:05:43 For him, that's got to be a lot.
01:05:45 [engines roaring]
01:05:49 Mert hung onto Romero's tail for the first 20 laps,
01:05:53 and then, as it happens so often during the season, smoke began pouring out as his engine went south.
01:06:01 It was Romero's day. 50 laps, wire to wire.
01:06:05 His father cheering him on, a beautiful ride, the checkered flag, and Gene Romero, the new number one.
01:06:12 [music]
01:06:29 It was a day of happiness for Gene.
01:06:31 For Rice, Aldana, and Mann, it was a very disappointing day.
01:06:35 Rice was lucky to be alive.
01:06:42 What kind of men are these that take tremendous chances,
01:06:45 that saw off a cast and ride with a broken leg,
01:06:49 and say, "It'll be okay. I'm a fast healer"?
01:06:56 Why do they do it?
01:06:58 There's no answer to that.
01:07:01 If you ask them, they say simply, "Because it's what I like to do."
01:07:07 For Mert, the day at Sacramento had been a mirror of the season.
01:07:11 With as much bad luck as Mert had had during the year, he still finished with enough points
01:07:16 to be the number sixth ranked rider in the national point standings.
01:07:20 [music]
01:07:26 Let's see what's happening in the rest of the motorcycle world.
01:07:29 It's Sunday, and we're about 20 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah.
01:07:34 There's a hill there called Widowmaker.
01:07:36 It's 600 feet high, and the angle up the face is 89%, roughly 45 degrees.
01:07:42 [music]
01:07:47 It's the site of the annual Widowmaker Hill Climb.
01:07:50 [music]
01:08:02 No one's ever made it over the top, and they've been trying for seven years.
01:08:07 Riders come from all over the country to compete in yet another
01:08:11 highly specialized form of motorcycle competition.
01:08:14 As I said, no one's ever made the top, but they give it a hell of a try.
01:08:19 [music]
01:08:29 [music]
01:08:49 Wherever the bike stops is where the measurement is taken,
01:08:52 so they get some bizarre push-off techniques.
01:08:55 [music]
01:09:00 This guy nearly nailed a couple of spectators and lost 12 feet in the process.
01:09:04 [music]
01:09:09 That's a whole lot better than losing 387 feet.
01:09:13 [music]
01:09:20 Some of the bikes have a lot of character.
01:09:23 The hill climbers themselves are safe to say, characters.
01:09:27 [music]
01:09:31 There was the mortician from Waukegan who thought hyperventilation was the answer.
01:09:36 [music]
01:09:38 It got him up the hill, 15 feet.
01:09:41 [music]
01:09:43 The classic guy that day was old Hawkeye Hillbilly.
01:09:46 He spent considerable time mentally psyching himself up for the hill.
01:09:51 [music]
01:09:53 Didn't know whether that was his number plate or a traffic citation.
01:09:57 [music]
01:10:13 On the hill, old Hawkeye the bouncer turned in a great run.
01:10:17 [music]
01:10:30 Only about 50 feet short of the top.
01:10:33 [music]
01:10:39 Old Malcolm was there.
01:10:41 He'd never ridden a hill climb, but he thought it would be fun.
01:10:44 For his first try, in typical Malcolm Smith style, he forgot to turn on the gas.
01:10:49 [music]
01:11:04 Later in the day, he got his second run, more than made up for his first error.
01:11:08 [music]
01:11:14 Riding his stock motorcycle in the 500cc class against the specially built hill climbers,
01:11:20 he got up to around 500 feet, right in there with the best of them.
01:11:24 [music]
01:11:26 Going back down the hill is a major operation for most riders.
01:11:30 Malcolm dazzled folks when he turned around and rode his motorcycle down.
01:11:34 [music]
01:11:45 One of the final riders of the day was Mike Gibbon,
01:11:48 who'd driven all the way from Grants Pass, Oregon to ride this event.
01:11:52 [music]
01:12:00 Chains on the tires and nitromethane fuel in the tank.
01:12:03 Mike Gibbon made the first tire mark on the top of Widowmaker.
01:12:08 After seven years, it had been done.
01:12:11 [music]
01:12:21 He got a big trophy and the local Lions Club gave him $100 to help him pay expenses back to Oregon.
01:12:27 [music]
01:12:29 It had been quite a day.
01:12:31 Widowmaker had at last been conquered.
01:12:35 Malcolm got 100 feet further up the hill than any other stock bike,
01:12:39 finishing third against the special hill climb machines.
01:12:43 [music]
01:12:45 [horn honking]
01:12:47 [music]
01:12:56 This fellow's a trials rider.
01:12:59 The magicians of the motorcycle world.
01:13:02 Good trials riders can do wheelies like this for miles, around corners, everywhere,
01:13:07 just bopping along, watching the scenery.
01:13:11 Trials riders are the violin players of the motorcycle world,
01:13:14 tremendously skilled at what they do.
01:13:19 The kid couldn't believe it.
01:13:21 There was nobody to tell.
01:13:24 In riding trials events, all you have to do is get through a difficult section of terrain
01:13:28 without putting your foot down.
01:13:30 A good trials rider's ability to do this is amazing.
01:13:35 It would seem impossible to get a motorcycle with 10 inches of clearance over a 30 inch log
01:13:40 and then make a sharp right turn to stay in bounds and not put your foot down.
01:13:45 [music]
01:13:50 It can be done.
01:13:52 [music]
01:14:02 Here's a beautiful example.
01:14:04 Lift the wheel at the precise instant,
01:14:07 turn it mid-air so when you land, your turn has already begun.
01:14:11 It looks easy, don't believe it.
01:14:15 Malcolm rides one or two trials a year on his Sunday outings.
01:14:18 In fact, he rides one or two of almost everything a year.
01:14:22 In trials too, he is very good.
01:14:25 [music]
01:14:31 Try this someday if you want to do something really difficult.
01:14:34 [music]
01:14:40 Neat, Malcolm.
01:14:44 Quite a different breed from the trials riders are the desert racers,
01:14:47 unique to the southwest, particularly Southern California.
01:14:52 There's even a group of girls called the desert daisies who race in the desert.
01:14:57 A great variety of people from all walks of life gather each Sunday to race.
01:15:04 Number one plate holder in the desert, Whitey Martino.
01:15:08 When they line up for the start, it's quite a sight.
01:15:11 [music]
01:15:25 Down there on the line are doctors, lawyers, carpenters, plumbers,
01:15:29 engineers, salesmen, students, anyone and everybody.
01:15:34 A thousand riders ready to race a heron hound over a hundred miles of desert terrain,
01:15:40 50 miles from the nearest town.
01:15:42 This scene takes place every Sunday of the year with starts from 500 to 2,000 riders.
01:15:49 The prize, a trophy for the winner and the satisfaction of knowing they did it for the rest.
01:15:54 [music]
01:16:00 They head first to a smoke bomb about five miles from the start.
01:16:04 At 10 a.m., the banner drops.
01:16:07 [music]
01:16:35 [fireworks]
01:16:43 [music]
01:16:55 About 10% never make the first five miles to the smoke bomb.
01:17:01 It's a cross between a race and a war.
01:17:05 [music]
01:17:15 They raise a cloud of dust that settles three weeks later on London.
01:17:21 Once to the smoke bomb, they start to thin out following a trail marked with ribbon and line.
01:17:26 No one's allowed to ride the course first, so it's all new terrain to them.
01:17:30 Three stripes of lime across the trail mean a dangerous spot ahead.
01:17:34 To the experienced desert rider, mounds of dirt mean danger too,
01:17:38 because the mounds had to come out of something like a mine shaft or a ditch or a hole.
01:17:42 You can tell when someone found one by the way they disappear so quickly.
01:17:46 [music]
01:18:07 It's a hundred miles of uphills, washes, brush, sand, cactus, downhills, and rocks.
01:18:14 [music]
01:18:20 A struggle just to get through.
01:18:23 [music]
01:18:27 But the biggest hazard to a desert racer is another desert racer.
01:18:32 [music]
01:18:39 In the spring, the B-29 bugs come out.
01:18:43 And hitting one is like running into a medicine ball.
01:18:46 [music]
01:19:08 Desert racers are good people.
01:19:12 There's even a guy who rides the desert with his dog.
01:19:16 There's a rug in the tank the dog hangs onto.
01:19:19 He's got claws like an eagle.
01:19:22 Their pit stops are kind of unusual.
01:19:25 [music]
01:19:41 Some of the hairiest racing is in the pits.
01:19:46 The best riders can invariably be found way in front of the dust and really hauling.
01:19:53 Here, J.N. Roberts, one of the really great desert racers.
01:19:57 [music]
01:20:04 Steve McQueen riding here still rides an occasional desert race,
01:20:07 although he prefers motocross now.
01:20:09 A few years back, he rode every Sunday and was ranked the 11th amateur rider.
01:20:14 [music]
01:20:19 And here, Malcolm Smith. He rarely rides the desert.
01:20:21 Says he doesn't like the heat and dust.
01:20:24 He's ridden about 12 desert races in his life and he won six of them.
01:20:29 The other six he broke down.
01:20:31 [music]
01:20:35 King of the desert and number one plate holder, Whitey Martino.
01:20:39 [music]
01:20:43 There's a great deal of skill involved, not just riding, but reading the terrain.
01:20:47 This is the way it looks to Whitey, weaving through the pucker bushes at 60 to 70 miles an hour.
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01:20:56 You don't go straight, but it's almost like a slalom through the bushes.
01:21:00 If you hit a bush, it's an instant endo.
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01:21:07 After battling your way through sand, rocks, turtles, bugs, and mine shafts,
01:21:12 you'd expect the finish to be exciting.
01:21:15 The finish of a desert race is like the finish of no other race.
01:21:19 It's just over.
01:21:21 There's usually about 100 people watching and they're waiting for somebody else anyway.
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01:21:28 Desert races are a very personal experience.
01:21:31 No spectators to cheer you, but a great personal satisfaction in knowing you did it.
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01:21:51 If a thousand start, there's usually about three or four hundred that finish.
01:21:55 The rest are strewn out over 100 miles of desert and are picked up by a crew that sweeps the course.
01:22:02 But there's always someone who gets off the course, gets lost, and breaks a chain or something.
01:22:08 He has no idea where he is and neither does anyone else.
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01:22:23 The desert racer's handbook says, "Build a fire."
01:22:26 The rescue squad will see the smoke and come and pick you up.
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01:22:35 Desert races don't lean toward tinder and the one-match fire.
01:22:39 It's high test in a pucker bush for them.
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01:23:05 The nearest water is in the radiator of his truck.
01:23:08 But he doesn't have any idea where his truck is.
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01:23:18 That's a thousand dollar signal fire.
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01:23:25 Probably the most fun in all of motorcycling is to load your bike in a pickup truck and head out into the country.
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01:23:38 The pressure of racing over, it's time to relax and have some fun.
01:23:42 Malcolm, Steve, and Mert all like to race, but they think this kind of riding is the most fun.
01:23:48 It's called cow trailing.
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01:23:54 If your friends aren't paying attention, how can you resist?
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01:24:07 Steve could have picked better people to fool with than Mert Lawwell and Malcolm Smith.
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01:24:35 There's something about going riding with your friends, a feeling of freedom, a feeling of joy, that really can't be put into words.
01:24:45 It can only be fully shared by someone who's done it.
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