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Bonus Channel
  • 5/12/2025
Transcript
00:00:00Four million people ride motorcycles in the U.S.
00:00:24They come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.
00:00:30They come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.
00:01:00They come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.
00:01:29To some people, a motorcycle is work, or a way to get to work, or a way to get away from
00:01:39it all to the solitude of the open country.
00:01:41A motorcycle is whatever you want to make it.
00:01:45Turn it on, you can give yourself a real thrill.
00:01:48A motorcycle is easy to ride, except the first time you try, your next-door neighbor, who
00:02:04probably doesn't know himself, is giving you the hot tips.
00:02:07Brake, clutch, shift, throttle, just simple coordination.
00:02:11Brake, clutch, shift, throttle, just simple coordination.
00:02:21Brake, clutch,坐,坐,坐,坐,坐,坐,坐.
00:04:28He's not a banker or an accountant or a salesman, but he is a professional man like the rest.
00:04:36His profession, motorcycle racer.
00:05:09He's won it by competing in a series of 27 national championship races and scoring the highest number of points during the season.
00:05:21The speeds he hits are incredible on the half-mile tracks, one of the races he rides.
00:05:35It's a hundred miles an hour in the straights and 80 in the corners within inches of posts and guardrails.
00:05:40He rides within inches of other riders he literally has to trust with his life.
00:06:01Professional motorcycle racing is a violent world.
00:06:06Even if it's a true course, he puts us in a large number of elements.
00:06:15Mert Lawell is a gentle man in a violent world.
00:06:45His job as a professional racer takes him on the road about eight months of the year following
00:06:51the national circuit.
00:06:55He leaves his family and home in the suburb of San Francisco called Tiburon to compete
00:07:00for another season in 27 national championship races across the United States.
00:07:14He and the rest of the pros pilot their machines off starting lines in 16 states, 80 horsepower
00:07:29engines and 300 pound machines.
00:07:32That would be like having 2,000 horsepower in your family car.
00:07:39To win the number one plate, you have to ride five different kinds of races.
00:07:44They each take different machines and different riding techniques.
00:07:51There are several hundred professional AMA racers in the United States, but there's only about
00:07:5515 who have the ability to win Mert's number one plate.
00:08:00The riders are guys like Mert, definitely not the Hollywood image, but highly skilled professionals,
00:08:07like Dick Mann, a former number one, Gary Nixon, twice number one, Gene Romero, Cal Rayburn.
00:08:17Most are small, around 5'6'' or 5'8'' and most are young, like Mark Prelsford, 20, Dave Smith, 21, Dave Aldana, 20, Don Castro, 19, Keith Mashburn, 20, Frank Gillespie, 22, Jim Odom, 23, Jim Rice, 23.
00:08:40Watching them in slow motion, they look almost casual in their actions, but they're doing over 100 miles an hour.
00:08:47Number 24, Jim Rice, number 14N, the late Ken Pressgrove.
00:08:53They don't all make it through each racing season.
00:09:00There are only a handful of people in the world who have the courage and skill to ride a motorcycle like Mert and these professionals.
00:09:09Even with their skill, they get into trouble.
00:09:14The best thing to do to avoid a bad crash is to purposely lay the bike down, like John Hateley is doing, at 80 miles an hour.
00:09:22Keeping his cool and checking traffic behind him.
00:09:26In car racing, you can make some small mistakes, like spinning out.
00:09:31In motorcycle racing, there's no such thing as a small mistake.
00:09:34Even laying it down hurts, leathers and all.
00:09:41Most riders can expect to lay it down several times a season.
00:09:44Some of them are involved in some unbelievable crashes.
00:09:49Keith Mashburn, number 30X, went right through a 4x4 fence.
00:09:55Ten minutes later, he was picking the stroud of his hair, and ten minutes after that, he was back on the track, letting it hang out further than ever.
00:10:07If they didn't have the ability to shake it off and get back on the track, they wouldn't be professional racers.
00:10:13Frank Gillespie, a young California rider, had a bad one too.
00:10:24Down on a dusty track, and out with a broken shoulder.
00:10:28Two weeks later, he's back, ready to race again, broken shoulder and all.
00:10:33Gary Fisher is a good example of the incredible courage these racers have.
00:10:38He was involved in a horrible crash in the Midwest.
00:10:42Amazingly, all the riders got up.
00:11:06Gary said he was all right.
00:11:08An hour later, he was taken to the hospital with a broken back.
00:11:12He soaked the cast off in the bathtub, put on a brace instead, and within six weeks, would take the brace off and race.
00:11:28To win or keep number one, you have to compete in different types of races.
00:11:32One is road racing, riding very special, highly tuned machines with fairings to cut the wind.
00:11:38Chin on a foam tank pad with very precise methods of throttle, clutch and brake.
00:12:08There are five road races in the early part of the season, from March to the first of June.
00:12:16Road racing is noisy, precise and very exacting.
00:12:20It's also a graceful and beautiful thing to watch.
00:12:24Holiday racing is very high golf inefficient.
00:12:26But this is a good idea.
00:12:27undermine an hour.
00:14:35On the banks, there's so much centrifugal force, your suspension is completely bottomed out, your helmets banging around, your eyes are forced into their sockets, and your vision is blurred.
00:14:45When you're watching from the stands, it's hard to believe that coming off the banks, they're hitting 160 miles an hour.
00:15:00All in the tracks!
00:15:16Try jumping out of your car at 120, and you'll know how he felt.
00:15:35Miraculously, he didn't break a bone.
00:15:38Watch again in ultra-slow motion, and you can see the abuse he took.
00:15:42His glove goes flying 30 feet down the track.
00:15:44It takes a tremendous jolt.
00:15:52Watch his right leg get bent under.
00:15:58It's amazing it didn't break.
00:15:59Like all forms of racing, road racing is precise.
00:16:17It's got a certain beauty to it, and it's also very dangerous.
00:16:21This is the mile, the most incredible of all dirt track racing.
00:16:28On the straight, Mert hits 130 miles an hour, and around 100, sliding the corners.
00:16:34Mert's teammate, and kind of protege, Mark Brelsford, number 87, Mark is spectacular on the mile.
00:16:53Most riders agree, the biggest thrill of all is to sit up at the end of the straight, and at 120, pitch it sideways.
00:17:00Mark laid out, feet up, out of the turn, 100, 110, 120, and back down the straight, tucked in to reduce the wind resistance.
00:17:30When Mert's not racing, he's working on his machines.
00:17:41After each race, the engine is torn down and inspected piece by piece.
00:17:45It's a lot more complicated than twisting nuts and bolts.
00:17:50For instance, each gear in the transmission is ground down by hand to save a few ounces of weight.
00:18:00If he can get a fraction of an ounce off this cam follower, he can pick up a few extra RPMs, and that's an edge over the others.
00:18:07He spends hours alone in his garage, trying to figure out a way to improve an engine part.
00:18:14Only another professional racer who maintains his own equipment, like Mert, can really appreciate the work involved.
00:18:32He spends over a thousand hours a year working on his motorcycles.
00:18:35It's off to Columbus, Ohio, one of ten cross-country trips Mert makes during the eight-month racing season.
00:18:52He drives his van over 70,000 miles a year, traveling with his friend and helper, Jack Dunn.
00:18:58They don't stay in motels, but drive 24 hours a day, stopping only to eat and refuel.
00:19:07Mert is totally dedicated to his profession.
00:19:10He works at it seven days a week.
00:19:13He doesn't have time for many outside interests.
00:19:16Motorcycle racing is his life.
00:19:19He grossed about $50,000 the year before, ended up with about $20,000 after expenses.
00:19:25That's good money, but not what it should be for the skill, knowledge, and dedication he has, let alone the risks.
00:19:36For most people, San Francisco to Columbus, Ohio, would be four days.
00:19:41For Mert and Jack, 27 hours, non-stop.
00:19:45They don't arrive a day early and relax.
00:19:47The pit gates open at 8.30.
00:19:49They arrive at 8.30.
00:19:51An hour later, after driving all night, he's on the track going sideways at 80 miles an hour.
00:20:03Before each race, there's about an hour of practice.
00:20:22They aren't practicing riding.
00:20:24They're experimenting with frame geometry, gearing, and tires most suitable for this track.
00:20:29There's a lot more to racing than holding the throttle wide open.
00:20:34Tires alone are an exact science to them, with different rubber compounds and different tread designs.
00:20:42Even a pound or two difference in air pressure makes a difference in handling.
00:20:46Before each race, they cut their tires with razor blades for added traction.
00:20:51Each rider has special cuts, and they change from hour to hour, depending on the condition of the dirt.
00:20:56There are many things to attend to before a race, like taping on these clear plastic strips called tear-offs.
00:21:07Some riders stack up five or six and rip them off one by one as the flying dirt sticks and obscures their vision.
00:21:16It's got to be a real thrill just to reach up and find that tab at 100 miles an hour.
00:21:22The last thing they strap on before a race is their steel skid shoe, custom-made for each rider,
00:21:33with the shape of the bottom sliding surface varied to suit the rider's style.
00:21:37The 20-lap half-mile in Columbus, Ohio.
00:21:48Mert had won the race two years in a row.
00:21:50A win today would put him in good shape to keep his number one plate another year.
00:21:56A $6,000 purse and 60 points.
00:21:59Mert wanted both.
00:22:00On the starting line, watching for a flicker of movement from the flagman, he's like a gunfighter.
00:22:08No show of emotion, not even a blink.
00:22:11Total concentration.
00:22:12Mert wanted both.
00:22:21We put them in good shape.
00:22:25In his fashion.
00:22:29The 1-lap is success.
00:22:30Burt was riding beautifully stretching out his lead he'd done everything right he'd chosen the
00:22:59right tire he picked up those extra few rpms by grinding down his cam follower his machine
00:23:06was perfectly set up and he was riding like the national champ he is the crowd sensing victory
00:23:19and urging him on on the last lap the pack came around but no murk here he came and
00:23:29last place out of the race with a broken throttle cable a two-dollar part it cost him the 60 points
00:23:37he needed and his share of the purse instead of several thousand was a hundred and sixteen dollars
00:23:44it was a pretty disappointing day
00:23:48it would be tough with the races left to earn enough points to keep number one
00:23:59by monday mert was back on the road heading for more races and hitting the gourmet restaurants
00:24:07along the way you may survive the race but not the restaurant
00:24:17murk went on to win three national races he greatly enjoys the things that come with winning
00:24:24what followed him through the season was an unbelievable string of bad luck he broke down
00:24:36in nearly half the championship races often little things like a throttle cable or an electrical short
00:24:42or a tire tread coming off here at Terre Haute Indiana with a half a lap lead Jack Dunn just knew something would happen
00:24:53and it did murk pulling off with a broken crankshaft
00:24:56he'd brake bounce back brake again race again but now it was too late with the races left to run
00:25:11there was no way murk could earn enough points to regain his number one plate
00:25:14the plate he'd written 12 years to win and had one season he'd now have to give to someone else
00:25:29there were four riders who had enough points to have a shot at ending up number one
00:25:34one was mert's best friend dick bugsy man number two the veteran of the circuit not only excels at each
00:25:39of the five ama events but is highly skilled in motocross as well there's no one who's more
00:25:45respected by his fellow riders and the fans than dick man on the bsa number two dick bugsy man
00:25:56the second rider who could win the number one plate one of the youngest 20 year old dave aldena
00:26:01his first year as professional expert david aldena the crazy kid from santa anna california
00:26:09off the track he's conservative compared to his action on the track
00:26:21he crashed 15 times during the year at speeds up to 120 miles an hour and was never hurt david said you
00:26:28never know how fast you can go until you fall down if he didn't crash he often won the third rider in
00:26:36contention was gene romero gene's nickname is burrito he's the most flamboyant of all the professional
00:26:42racers but is very serious about his racing particularly late in the season when he wanted
00:26:48the points were number one i don't want to hurt anybody but i just want to get out there and i got
00:26:59to get third no matter what boy is it going to be either one i got to get third or come and visit me at
00:27:07the hospital i dig carnations man the fourth and final rider who could be number one was jim rice
00:27:15jim the winningest rider on the circuit had taken the checkered flag six times as many times as anyone
00:27:20ever had in a season the number one plate would be decided at sacramento california in september
00:27:28quite different from the national circuit is the on any sunday world of motocross
00:27:47a motocross track is uphill downhill jumps bumps mud rocks and dust the rougher the better
00:27:58competition is still the name of the game it doesn't matter whether you're battling for first
00:28:10or 31st it's just as fierce here's a classic confrontation for 10th place the guy in the
00:28:18yellow figures he'll zap his buddy through the puddle and cover his glasses with mud and water so he can't
00:28:23see and that'll put him behind but his pal just threw away his 40 dollar prescription lenses and passed
00:28:30him right back again on the corner when some riders start getting behind they panic and try a shortcut
00:28:45through the giggle weeds when they can no longer race it's simple frustration
00:28:58getting your bike stuck in the mud is bad enough getting your body stuck in the mud is the worst
00:29:03especially when it's your girlfriend who has to dig you out
00:29:23everyone makes mistakes riding motocross even world champion ben alberg here going over the handlebars
00:29:29somehow when alberg gets off he does it with a certain style and grace
00:29:34everyone crashes now and then but not often with style and grace more often the classic flying w
00:29:59is
00:30:04you
00:30:06y'all
00:30:08you
00:30:10you
00:30:12you
00:30:14you
00:30:16Wahoo!
00:30:46Missing a turn and going off the course is a common error.
00:31:14The classic was this guy running 8th who cut the course and nailed his buddy running 3rd.
00:31:37You wonder how they get into the positions they do.
00:31:42The one kid was laughing so hard he got stomach cramps.
00:32:00Thousands of riders compete in motocross in the United States, one of them is Steve McQueen.
00:32:07On the starting line he's not an actor out for a ride, he's 100% motorcycle racer.
00:32:14There's no one with a more competitive instinct.
00:32:25When he gets on his race face, the world could be falling down around him, but all he sees
00:32:30is the track.
00:32:37A $1 million body out there with the possibility of being used by someone for traction in a
00:32:43corner.
00:32:44If the movie studio moguls realized what he was doing on a Sunday afternoon, they'd
00:32:49have a coronary.
00:32:51The two best motocross riders in the world are Ben Alberg, 500cc world champion from Sweden,
00:33:10and Joel Robert, 250cc world champion from Belgium.
00:33:15Joel Robert, number 17, is a national sports hero in Belgium.
00:33:25Motocross races in Europe sometimes draw crowds of over 100,000 people.
00:33:30In Joel's home country of Belgium, fans have been known to lay on the track in front of
00:33:35other riders to help Joel win, except he doesn't need any help.
00:33:40With the number one plate, Swede Ben Alberg, 500cc world champion.
00:33:55His riding skill is unbelievable, here using power to straighten himself out.
00:34:01Scientific tests have been made, and motocross was found to be the second most physically demanding
00:34:05sport in the world, following only soccer.
00:34:09After 30 minutes of racing, even a rider in perfect condition like Ben Alberg is almost
00:34:14totally exhausted.
00:34:16He's got maybe an hour to rest between races, then do it again, three times a day.
00:34:28Motocross races run in all kinds of weather.
00:34:31It's a race against the other man, but even more, it's man's battle against the course itself.
00:34:38There's a certain brutal beauty to motocross that you can only see in slow motion.
00:34:45We'll be right back to you.
00:36:20The classic example of the Sunday competitor who rides for fun with his usual ear-to-ear
00:36:31grin is Malcolm Smith.
00:36:34The only thing different between Malcolm and the rest of the Sunday competitors is Malcolm
00:36:38rides a greater variety of events, something different almost every Sunday.
00:36:43He seems to enjoy it more than anyone, and he's also the best.
00:36:47Back in 1968, when being interviewed by Wide World of Sports about his amazing performance
00:36:58the year before in the Mexican 1000, he didn't talk about how tough it was.
00:37:04Instead, typical Malcolm.
00:37:06Did you have any adventures during that nine hours and something last year in this wild
00:37:10country?
00:37:10No, it was easy going down, but it was hard coming back.
00:37:14We had an old Volkswagen that a friend of mine drove down there, my co-driver this year, and
00:37:20we started back and it gave up on us and we rode on a turtle truck with live sea turtles
00:37:25on the top of the turtles all the way for five days.
00:37:29On the top of the live turtles?
00:37:31On the top of the live turtles, and it smelled very bad all the way back.
00:37:35On the starting line, most riders are nervous.
00:37:38Malcolm's usually got a smile.
00:37:43Of the many events Malcolm rides, he's particularly outstanding in the rugged off-road races like
00:37:48the Mint 400, a 400-mile race through the desert near Las Vegas, like riding from San Francisco
00:37:55to Los Angeles through the roughest imaginable terrain and averaging 50 miles an hour.
00:38:00The race goes on night and day, and when it's all over and the other riders are almost in
00:38:07shock from exhaustion, there stands Malcolm in the middle of the night with a big grin.
00:38:16Malcolm is king of the Mexican 1000, a 1,000-mile off-road race down the peninsula of Baja,
00:38:21California, Mexico.
00:38:23He goes so fast he should be in a class by himself.
00:38:26One year, he drove a dune buggy to see what that was like.
00:38:29Malcolm was running second before he broke down.
00:38:31Here again, at a pit stop, he didn't say, dust, tough, tired.
00:38:36Instead, typical Malcolm.
00:38:38Looked like you're having a good time, Malcolm.
00:38:40Oh, great.
00:38:41Lots of fun.
00:38:42See any incidents out there?
00:38:43Any problems?
00:38:43No.
00:38:44Let's turn around this way for just a second.
00:38:46Only one I ever see is Larry Burquist.
00:38:49Yeah, they're up ahead of you still.
00:38:50Yeah.
00:38:51Yeah, we know.
00:38:52We can't keep up with a motorcycle.
00:38:53He couldn't keep up with a motorcycle that year, but every other year, the lone dust cloud
00:39:01across Lake Chapala was Malcolm Smith and his motorcycle.
00:39:08He never failed the lead.
00:39:10One year, he was two hours ahead of the next machine at the halfway point and rode the final
00:39:15200 miles on a flat front tire.
00:39:19The rougher and tougher the event, the more skill and human endurance it takes, the better
00:39:24Malcolm likes it.
00:39:26As he would say himself, that was really neat.
00:39:30El Escorial, Spain, near Madrid, the site of the international six-day trials, the ultimate
00:39:40test of man and machine.
00:39:42The six-day trials is the Olympic Games of motorcycle sport, held for the 45th year.
00:39:49348 riders from 16 countries have gathered to compete, among them, Malcolm Smith.
00:39:55Here, getting his bike inspected and marked prior to the first day.
00:39:58Each part of the motorcycle is marked with a special paint.
00:40:03In six days of riding, no parts can be changed without being disqualified.
00:40:09Even internal engine parts are marked and the engine is sealed.
00:40:15The only parts that can be changed are control cables, chains, tires, and tubes.
00:40:21At 6.45 in the morning, the first of the riders get underway.
00:40:26They leave four per minute.
00:40:27The colors on their helmets denote the rider's country.
00:40:30Germans in white, Spanish in yellow, Italians red, English green, Czechoslovakians in blue,
00:40:40the Swedes with yellow and blue.
00:40:44Malcolm number 242 would be starting on the 60th minute.
00:40:47Of all the events Malcolm rides, this is the only one he takes very seriously.
00:40:54There's no prize money involved.
00:41:12The top prize for an individual rider is a gold medal.
00:41:16Off goes Malcolm and 348 others through the countryside of Spain,
00:41:20the beginning of a grueling adventure.
00:41:22The concept of the event is quite simple,
00:41:27to ride about 200 miles per day for six straight days
00:41:31and keep on a prescribed time schedule.
00:41:33The trouble is, none but the best can keep up the time schedule,
00:41:37and these riders are the best in the world.
00:41:40It's an honor just to be selected to ride the six days.
00:41:42You go through a series of checkpoints each day.
00:41:51You can get there early, but you can't clock through until your prescribed minute.
00:41:55You lose one mark for each minute you're late to any checkpoint.
00:41:58In all, there are 65 time checks.
00:42:02If you're only one minute late to any one of these, you lose a mark.
00:42:06To win a gold medal, you can't lose a single mark in six days of riding.
00:42:10It's hard to appreciate the difficulty of the six days without being there.
00:42:16It's hard to realize just how long six days on a motorcycle really is.
00:42:20The best riders are usually the Europeans.
00:42:27Most are paid a salary year-round to ride.
00:42:30A gold medal at the six-day trials sells a lot of motorcycles in Europe.
00:42:35Malcolm isn't paid.
00:42:36In fact, he pays all his own expenses just to go over there and compete.
00:42:41During the competition, the temperatures range from 80 degrees to 20 degrees.
00:42:45They went from 2,000 feet to over 8,000 feet, riding in the clouds in the mountains of Spain.
00:42:58Of the 1,200 miles the event covers, about 800 of it is trails like this.
00:43:04It may last for 40 miles.
00:43:07On the foot pegs maneuvering, like six days on a bongo board.
00:43:10The speed average, 24 miles an hour, but very few can keep it up.
00:43:21All work in the machine must be done by the contestant himself with no outside help.
00:43:27The bikes are locked up except during the time you're riding against the clock.
00:43:31The only time to make repairs or adjustments is if you can get ahead of schedule and stop to do it.
00:43:37If you can't change a tire in four minutes, you're not competitive in the six-day trial.
00:43:43The only tools you can use for anything are what you carry with you.
00:43:50If anyone hands you a tool or helps you in any way, you're disqualified.
00:43:54If you keep your bike together, change tires fast enough, keep on time, and lose no marks,
00:44:01you still haven't won a gold medal.
00:44:03You have to compete in a series of special tests at the end of each day's riding.
00:44:08One is this 200-meter acceleration test.
00:44:11Clock top speed at the end earns needed bonus points.
00:44:15Except there's a sound meter in that 10th,
00:44:18and if you make too much noise going by,
00:44:20bonus points are subtracted instead of added.
00:44:24Another special test at the end of each day
00:44:31is a five-mile time cross-country loop,
00:44:34sort of a motocross against the clock.
00:44:37The fastest times earn the most bonus points,
00:44:40and to earn enough bonus points for a gold medal,
00:44:43you have to be in the top 30%.
00:44:44The motorcycles have mufflers and lights,
00:44:48which are under the number plate,
00:44:50and you can be stopped at any time and have your light checked.
00:44:53If it doesn't work, you have to stay there until you make it work.
00:44:59In the special test, Malcolm has to go fast, but not too fast.
00:45:03He's got to save the machine.
00:45:05He's got to save his body.
00:45:07There are more days to come.
00:45:08Day after day, Malcolm left in the morning chill from L.S. Correale,
00:45:19stiff and sore, but on time.
00:45:26Each day, he left to do battle with the clock and the elements of Spain,
00:45:30mostly fatigue in his face, but on time.
00:45:33The six days, more than any event, tests a man's all-around ability,
00:45:39his riding, his endurance, mechanical skill,
00:45:43and his ability to think clearly when tremendously fatigued.
00:45:47If you do everything right, don't make one mistake in six days,
00:45:51you win this gold medal.
00:45:53Malcolm won one in Poland, he won one in Germany,
00:45:57and he won this one in L.S. Correale, Spain.
00:46:07Back in the United States, what's Malcolm do?
00:46:10Heads for another motorcycle race with his friend, Steve McQueen.
00:46:15The event is the Elsinore Grand Prix.
00:46:171,500 motorcyclists line up in the main street waiting for the start.
00:46:401,500 riders and 50,000 spectators fill the little town.
00:46:44It's a hundred-mile race through the streets of the city
00:46:49and into the foothills outside of town.
00:46:52The average age of the 2,000 Elsinore residents is 60 years old,
00:46:57and it's the only town in America that welcomes such an event.
00:47:00The residents love it, and so do the riders.
00:47:10Malcolm will be starting in the second row.
00:47:12Steve's starting in the fourth row.
00:47:17Held back by a rope, riders leave at 10-second intervals, 10 abreast.
00:47:22It was supposed to be 10-second intervals, but it got a lot shorter than that.
00:47:28You could tell the most eager riders by their rope burns on their neck.
00:47:31By the time the race was two miles old,
00:47:48Malcolm passing the last rider and taking the lead.
00:47:50It had rained a few days before, and there was a big puddle.
00:47:57As the pack came thundering through, the water puddle turned into a mud puddle.
00:48:03Then it turned into a mud hole.
00:48:05The first 200 riders made it through,
00:48:07but for the 1,300 yet to come, it was all stop.
00:48:11It was all stop.
00:48:11There's no money involved in the race.
00:48:34A trophy for the winner.
00:48:37In fact, they pay a $15 entry fee for the honor of riding.
00:48:45While they were getting out of the mud hole,
00:48:47Malcolm had opened up a commanding lead.
00:48:49Malcolm rides so smoothly and effortlessly,
00:48:58he doesn't appear to be going very fast.
00:49:00He is.
00:49:01There's 1,499 riders behind him.
00:49:05When he came back through town at the end of the first lap,
00:49:08he was so far ahead, there were no other riders in sight.
00:49:12When the rest of the riders thundering through town,
00:49:28it was sport for the spectators to see if they could get across the street
00:49:31before they got run over by a motorcycle.
00:49:33Everyone rides Elsinore.
00:49:43If there's one event you ride a year,
00:49:45it's usually the Elsinore Grand Prix.
00:49:46People of all ages, girls, the pig farmer from Marietta.
00:49:54There's only about 200 riders who are seriously competitive.
00:49:57For the rest, it's a great Sunday adventure.
00:50:00Doing wheelies through town to dazzle their friends,
00:50:02bouncing off any object in sight,
00:50:05missing half the corners,
00:50:08and ripping out 10 miles of banners
00:50:10and dragging them back through town.
00:50:14The people of Elsinore can't believe what's going on in their town.
00:50:25They pull a chair up in their front yard
00:50:27and have a grandstand seat.
00:50:32Number 48, Steve McQueen, entered under the name of Harvey Mushman.
00:50:57But it didn't take long for the spectators
00:51:00to figure out who number 48 really was.
00:51:05She was dazzled, but her husband wasn't too impressed.
00:51:09Yeah, I could do that.
00:51:16Steve really earned the respect of his fellow riders.
00:51:18Some of them didn't realize what a good rider he really is.
00:51:21His car racing experience gives him the ability
00:51:24to pick the perfect line through the corners.
00:51:25In the subsequent Elsinore race,
00:51:42Steve crashed, broke his foot,
00:51:44got up and finished eighth, broken foot and all.
00:51:46It was Malcolm Smith's day.
00:51:58When Malcolm passes you,
00:51:59it's a mistake to try and stay with him.
00:52:07In the lead, but still time for a wave
00:52:09to a friend beside the course.
00:52:11Malcolm's got an uncanny sense
00:52:19for doing the right thing.
00:52:21Here, swerving off the course
00:52:22through a hole in the barbed wire fence
00:52:24and around the now cleaned out mud hole.
00:52:34Back through the fence again
00:52:35without missing a beat
00:52:36and passing six guys in the process.
00:52:38What's the guy who rides motorcycles
00:52:47every Sunday do for a living?
00:52:49Malcolm owns a motorcycle shop.
00:53:00In ten laps, Malcolm passed 7,000 riders,
00:53:04some of them three times.
00:53:06Malcolm almost never makes a bobble or a mistake.
00:53:11It's about 200 feet down off the side of the road.
00:53:14When it was all over, it was Malcolm Smith.
00:53:22There he stood in the pits with his ear-to-ear grin.
00:53:39He didn't even look tired.
00:53:40Steve turned in a great ride,
00:53:43finishing 10th overall,
00:53:45riding against the best riders in the country
00:53:47for this kind of event.
00:53:49Every time I start thinking the world is all bad,
00:53:52then I start seeing some people out there
00:53:53having a good time on motorcycles,
00:53:55it makes me take another look.
00:53:57That was good fun.
00:53:58There are a lot of things that are good fun on a motorcycle,
00:54:05like sidecar racing,
00:54:07so specialized that only about 200 people do it
00:54:10in the United States.
00:54:16The passenger is called the monkey.
00:54:18He's usually flat on one side.
00:54:20Motorcycle drag racing is another highly specialized form of competition.
00:54:37They hit speeds of 160 miles an hour
00:54:48in the quarter mile.
00:54:54Before they leave the line,
00:54:56they burn their tires to get them hot and sticky
00:54:58for better traction.
00:55:00This guy was going to donate his lungs
00:55:02to the Mayo Clinic.
00:55:03Special machines and riders
00:55:07who usually specialize in nothing but drag racing,
00:55:10it's won or lost in a hundredth of a second
00:55:12at the finish or even at the start.
00:55:21Probably the least number of people
00:55:23in all of motorcycle sport
00:55:24race their motorcycles on ice.
00:55:27Quebec City, Canada is the site of one.
00:55:30The fans try to stay alive
00:55:33in the 10-degree below-zero weather.
00:55:41The riders wear leather masks
00:55:43to keep their faces from freezing
00:55:45and protect them from cuts
00:55:46from flying ice off the track.
00:55:50Two-inch spikes in the tires
00:55:52for traction on the ice.
00:55:55Before a race,
00:55:56they have to be wondering.
00:55:57It would be like getting run over
00:56:00by a buzzsaw.
00:56:06If you go down,
00:56:07the main thought is to get off the track
00:56:09because there's more buzzsaws coming.
00:56:12This guy set a world record
00:56:14for a 20-foot crawl
00:56:15on his hands and knees.
00:56:20They hit tremendous speeds
00:56:21on this half-mile ice track,
00:56:2220-second lap times,
00:56:24averaging almost 80.
00:56:25Absolutely no wheels spin
00:56:31with those spiked tires.
00:56:34They ride with different styles,
00:56:36some foot-down, dirt track style,
00:56:38others slide on the knee
00:56:39on a hockey pad.
00:56:43There's only about 50 or 60 people
00:56:45who ice race in North America
00:56:47and only a couple of big ice races a year.
00:56:49It's popular in certain parts of Europe,
00:56:52especially Russia.
00:56:56Ice racing in Canada,
00:56:5810 degrees below zero
00:56:59in the middle of a snowstorm.
00:57:01From 10 degrees below
00:57:10to 115 degrees above
00:57:13at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah
00:57:14where once again,
00:57:16men on motorcycles compete,
00:57:18trying to set speed records.
00:57:20Once a year,
00:57:21they have speed week for motorcycles.
00:57:23There's about 200 different classes
00:57:25and anyone with a two-wheel machine
00:57:26gets into the act.
00:57:28Some of the bikes are a little strange.
00:57:30This guy had a 60-horsepower skateboard
00:57:32and steel kneecaps.
00:57:38Some guy got an old bomb
00:57:39and put a motor in it.
00:57:41Didn't handle very well.
00:57:45From the backyard specials
00:57:47through the exotically engineered
00:57:48and computer designed
00:57:49streamlined bikes.
00:57:54There was a fellow named Cal Rayburn,
00:57:57a professional racer,
00:57:58who was going to make an assault
00:57:59on the motorcycle land speed record
00:58:01of 250 miles an hour.
00:58:03He was going to drive
00:58:04one of those slide rule
00:58:06superengineered specials.
00:58:08He lost a little faith
00:58:10in the computers and engineers
00:58:11when he got in
00:58:12and found out an interesting thing.
00:58:14He didn't fit.
00:58:17I think Cal was beginning
00:58:20to have some second thoughts.
00:58:22He kept saying,
00:58:23you guys are nuts.
00:58:27They said his helmet visor
00:58:28must be too big,
00:58:29so they sawed it off.
00:58:30That way it wouldn't dig
00:58:32into his chest.
00:58:34It didn't dig into his chest,
00:58:35but his chin still did.
00:58:38In this position,
00:58:39he was supposed to try
00:58:39and go faster than anyone ever had
00:58:41with a motorcycle
00:58:42over 250 miles an hour.
00:58:47Once the lid was in place,
00:58:48he found out interesting point number two.
00:58:51He couldn't see out.
00:58:53His feet were too big
00:58:54and blocked his view
00:58:55out the front window,
00:58:56and his knee blocked
00:58:56his view out the side.
00:58:58So all he had to do
00:58:59was peer out the side window
00:59:01over his knee
00:59:02and follow this black line
00:59:04painted on the salt
00:59:05at anything over 250.
00:59:06Late in the afternoon,
00:59:10they launched him,
00:59:11and he found out
00:59:12interesting point number three.
00:59:15It didn't handle very well
00:59:16at six miles an hour.
00:59:17He kept saying,
00:59:32you guys are nuts,
00:59:33but he was driving.
00:59:36After a week of trying
00:59:38and crashes from six to 206,
00:59:40Calvin finally set
00:59:41a new motorcycle land speed record
00:59:43of over 265 miles an hour.
00:59:47The steering changed
00:59:48with the speed.
00:59:49Under 100,
00:59:50turn right to go right.
00:59:52100 to 200,
00:59:53turn left to go right.
00:59:55And over 200,
00:59:57back to normal again.
00:59:57I'm going to go right back.
01:00:13the mile track at Sacramento California this is where the number one plate will be decided a
01:00:37$12,000 purse but more important to Dick Mann, Dave Aldana, Gene Romero and Jim Rice 101 points
01:00:48enough to make any of them number one all the writers were there but the pressure was on the
01:00:56four if Dave Aldana won it would be the first time a first-year expert ever had Romero was
01:01:04not his usual laughing self Jim Rice was off alone walking in the track Dick Mann arrived he'd
01:01:16broken his leg in a race only three weeks before and no one expected him to compete but he'd sawed
01:01:22off his cast and was going to try he jammed his swollen leg into his boot and steel shoe went out
01:01:33on the track and won his heat race Mert won the second heat Gene Romero the third with Dave Aldana
01:01:48transferring to the point paying main by finishing third in his heat the first four riders in each
01:01:54heat transfer to the main event Jim Rice number 24 playing it cool in the final heat and transferring
01:02:03after the finish at 120 miles an hour
01:02:33go
01:02:34Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
01:03:04An hour later, they lined up for the main event.
01:03:34Jim Rice was getting out of the ambulance and was going to try and ride the race.
01:03:44In a lot of pain with a bandana covering his broken nose, Jim quietly took his place on the line with the rest.
01:04:04And down the back chute at 125 miles an hour.
01:04:28It was Dave Aldana. The race was Black Flag.
01:04:32Aldana's bike was completely totaled, but David, as he had all year, walked away unhurt.
01:04:38But he also walked away from any chance of being number one.
01:04:41No way he could make the three-minute restart rule.
01:04:53The restart was a carbon copy of the first.
01:04:56Merton fourth, working his way back to third. Romero second, man first.
01:05:00And there goes Romero to the inside and takes the lead at the end of the chute on turn number three.
01:05:10And Romero again getting by. Dick Mann in exactly the same place.
01:05:14Jim Rice running in last place.
01:05:18Jim Rice running in last place.
01:05:21Ten laps later, the field spreading out. Romero further ahead and Rice dropping further back.
01:05:27His bike running poorly and Jim just too physically shaken to be competitive.
01:05:31It's amazing he tried to ride it all.
01:05:33On the 20th lap, Dick Mann pulled in. He'd caught his shoe in a hole and was in too much pain to continue.
01:05:43For him, that's gotta be a lot.
01:05:45Bert hung on to Romero's tail for the first 20 laps.
01:05:51And then, as it happened so often during the season, smoke began pouring out as his engine went south.
01:05:58It was Romero's day. 50 laps, wire to wire.
01:06:04His father cheering him on. A beautiful ride. The checkered flag. And Gene Romero, the new number one.
01:06:13It was a day of happiness for Gene. For Rice, Aldana and Mann, it was a very disappointing day.
01:06:35Rice was lucky to be alive.
01:06:37What kind of men are these that take tremendous chances?
01:06:45That saw off a cast and ride with a broken leg?
01:06:49And say it'll be okay, I'm a fast healer.
01:06:56Why do they do it?
01:06:58There's no answer to that.
01:07:00If you ask them, they say simply, because it's what I like to do.
01:07:05For Mert, the day at Sacramento had been a mirror of the season.
01:07:10With as much bad luck as Mert had had during the year, he still finished with enough points
01:07:15to be the number 6th ranked rider in the national point standings.
01:07:25Let's see what's happening in the rest of the motorcycle world.
01:07:28It's Sunday, and we're about 20 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah.
01:07:32There's a hill there called Widowmaker.
01:07:35It's 600 feet high, and the angle up the face is 89%, roughly 45 degrees.
01:07:41It's the site of the annual Widowmaker hill climb.
01:07:48No one's ever made it over the top, and they've been trying for seven years.
01:07:54Riders come from all over the country to compete in yet another highly specialized form of motorcycle competition.
01:07:59As I said, no one's ever made the top, but they give it a hell of a try.
01:08:04Riders come from all over the country to compete in yet another highly specialized form of motorcycle competition.
01:08:11As I said, no one's ever made the top, but they give it a hell of a try.
01:08:16Riders come from all over the top, but they give it a hell of a try.
01:08:23Wherever the bike stops is where the measurement is taken, so they get some bizarre
01:08:51push-off techniques.
01:08:58This guy nearly nailed a couple of spectators and lost 12 feet in the process.
01:09:07That's a whole lot better than losing 387 feet.
01:09:14Some of the bikes have a lot of character.
01:09:23The hill climbers themselves are safe to say, characters.
01:09:31There was the mortician from Waukegan who thought hyperventilation was the answer.
01:09:37It got him up the hill, 15 feet.
01:09:42The classic guy that day was old Hawkeye Hillbilly.
01:09:46He spent considerable time mentally psyching himself up for the hill.
01:09:50Didn't know whether that was his number plate or a traffic citation.
01:09:56On the hill, old Hawkeye the bouncer turned in a great run.
01:10:17Only about 50 feet short of the top.
01:10:32Old Malcolm was there.
01:10:37He'd never ridden a hill climb, but he thought it would be fun.
01:10:43On his first try in typical Malcolm Smith style, he forgot to turn on the gas.
01:11:04Later in the day, he got his second run, more than made up for his first error.
01:11:14Riding his stock motorcycle in the 500cc class against the specially built hill climbers,
01:11:20he got up to around 500 feet, right in there with the best of them.
01:11:26Going back down the hill is a major operation for most riders.
01:11:30Malcolm dazzled folks when he turned around and rode his motorcycle down.
01:11:37Holy God.
01:11:39One of the final riders of the day was Mike Gibbon, who'd driven all the way from Grants Pass, Oregon, to ride this event.
01:11:51Chains on the tires and nitromethane fuel in the tank.
01:12:04Mike Gibbon made the first tire mark on the top of Widowmaker.
01:12:08After seven years, it had been done.
01:12:21He got a big trophy and the local Lions Club gave him $100 to help him pay expenses back to Oregon.
01:12:27It had been quite a day. Widowmaker had at last been conquered.
01:12:34Malcolm got 100 feet further up the hill than any other stock bike, finishing third against the special hill climb machines.
01:12:42This fellow is a trials rider, the magicians of the motorcycle world.
01:13:01Good trials riders can do wheelies like this for miles, around corners, everywhere, just bopping along, watching the scenery.
01:13:08Trials riders are the violin players of the motorcycle world, tremendously skilled at what they do.
01:13:15The kid couldn't believe it. There was nobody to tell.
01:13:21In riding trials events, all you have to do is get through a difficult section of terrain without putting your foot down.
01:13:28A good trials rider's ability to do this is amazing.
01:13:33It would seem impossible to get a motorcycle with 10 inches of clearance over a 30 inch log,
01:13:40and then make a sharp right turn to stay in bounds, and not put your foot down.
01:13:45It can be done.
01:13:51Here's a beautiful example. Lift the wheel at the precise instant, turn it mid-air so when you land your turn has already begun.
01:14:11It looks easy. Don't believe it.
01:14:14Malcolm rides one or two trials a year on his Sunday outings.
01:14:19In fact, he rides one or two of almost everything a year.
01:14:22In trials, too, he is very good.
01:14:31Try this someday if you want to do something really difficult.
01:14:35Neat, Malcolm.
01:14:44Quite a different breed from the trials riders are the desert racers, unique to the Southwest, particularly Southern California.
01:14:52There's even a group of girls called the Desert Daisies who race in the desert.
01:14:57A great variety of people from all walks of life gather each Sunday to race.
01:15:04Number one plate holder in the desert, Whitey Martino.
01:15:08When they line up for the start, it's quite a sight.
01:15:25Down there on the line are doctors, lawyers, carpenters, plumbers, engineers, salesmen, students, anyone and everybody.
01:15:33A thousand riders ready to race a heron hound over 100 miles of desert terrain, 50 miles from the nearest town.
01:15:42This scene takes place every Sunday of the year with starts from 500 to 2,000 riders.
01:15:48The prize?
01:15:49The prize?
01:15:50A trophy for the winner and the satisfaction of knowing they did it for the rest.
01:15:55They head first to a smoke bomb about five miles from the start.
01:16:03At 10 a.m. the banner drops.
01:16:06¶¶
01:16:08¶¶
01:16:18Oh, my God.
01:16:48About 10% never make the first five miles to the smoke bomb.
01:17:01It's a cross between a race and a war.
01:17:04They raise a cloud of dust that settles three weeks later on London.
01:17:21Once there's a smoke bomb, they start to thin out, following a trail marked with ribbon and lime.
01:17:25No one's allowed to ride the course first, so it's all new terrain to them.
01:17:30Three stripes of lime across the trail mean a dangerous spot ahead.
01:17:34To the experienced desert rider, mounds of dirt mean danger, too,
01:17:38because the mounds had to come out of something like a mine shaft or a ditch or a hole.
01:17:43You can tell when someone found one by the way they disappear so quickly.
01:17:46It's a hundred miles of uphills, washes, brush, sand, cactus, downhills, and rocks.
01:18:14A struggle just to get through.
01:18:27But the biggest hazard to a desert racer is another desert racer.
01:18:31In the spring, the B-29 bugs come out.
01:18:42Then hitting one is like running into a medicine ball.
01:18:45Desert racers are good people.
01:19:09There's even a guy who rides the desert with his dog.
01:19:16There's a rug in the tank the dog hangs onto.
01:19:19He's got claws like an eagle.
01:19:22Their pit stops are kind of unusual.
01:19:24Some of the hairiest racing is in the pits.
01:19:39The best riders can invariably be found way in front of the dust and really hauling.
01:19:51Here, J.N. Roberts, one of the really great desert racers.
01:20:04Steve McQueen riding here still rides an occasional desert race, although he prefers motocross now.
01:20:09A few years back, he rode every Sunday and was ranked the 11th amateur rider.
01:20:14Now, here, Malcolm Smith, he rarely rides the desert, says he doesn't like the heat and dust.
01:20:24He's ridden about 12 desert races in his life, and he won six of them.
01:20:29The other six he broke down.
01:20:35King of the desert and number one plate holder, Whitey Martino.
01:20:39There's a great deal of skill involved, not just riding, but reading the terrain.
01:20:47This is the way it looks to Whitey, weaving through the pucker bushes at 60 to 70 miles an hour.
01:20:56You don't go straight, but it's almost like a slalom through the bushes.
01:21:01If you hit a bush, it's an instant endo.
01:21:03After battling your way through sand, rocks, turtles, bugs, and mine shafts, you'd expect the finish to be exciting.
01:21:15The finish of a desert race is like the finish of no other race.
01:21:19It's just over.
01:21:21There's usually about 100 people watching, and they're waiting for somebody else anyway.
01:21:26Desert races are a very personal experience.
01:21:31No spectators to cheer you, but a great personal satisfaction in knowing you did it.
01:21:50If 1,000 start, there's usually about 300 or 400 that finish.
01:21:54The rest are strewn out over 100 miles of desert and are picked up by a crew that sweeps the course.
01:22:02But there's always someone who gets off the course, gets lost, and breaks a chain or something.
01:22:08He has no idea where he is, and neither does anyone else.
01:22:12The desert racers' handbook says, build a fire.
01:22:27The rescue squad will see the smoke and come and pick you up.
01:22:35Desert racers don't lean toward tinder and the one-match fire.
01:22:39It's high test in a pucker bush for them.
01:22:42The nearest water is in the radiator of his truck,
01:23:08but he doesn't have any idea where his truck is.
01:23:12That's a $1,000 signal fire.
01:23:25Probably the most fun in all of motorcycling is to load your bike in a pickup truck and
01:23:30head out into the country.
01:23:36The pressure of racing over, it's time to relax and have some fun.
01:23:42Malcolm, Steve, and Mert all like to race, but they think this kind of riding is the most
01:23:47fun.
01:23:48It's called cow trailing.
01:23:54If your friends aren't paying attention, how can you resist?
01:24:08Steve could have picked better people to fool with than Mert Lawwell and Malcolm Smith.
01:24:15There's something about going riding with your friends, a feeling of freedom, a feeling of
01:24:28joy, that really can't be put into words, can only be fully shared by someone who's done
01:24:43it.
01:24:50if your friends aren't going in there, it will just boil your st