Mary McGee was an American motorsport racing pioneer.
24 Facts About Mary McGee
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Mary McGee was the first woman to compete in motorcycle road racing and motocross events in the United States.
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In 2013, McGee was named an FIM Legend for her pioneering motorcycle racing career.
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Mary McGee was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Mary McGee was born in Juneau, Alaska Territory, on December 12,1936.
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Mary McGee then moved to Iowa to live with her grandparents during World War II, as Alaska was considered to be at risk of a Japanese invasion.
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Mary McGee began racing sports cars with the Sports Car Club of America in December 1957, driving a Mercedes 300SL owned by George Rice of Phoenix, Arizona.
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Mary McGee consistently won her races, which earned her media attention.
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Mary McGee bought her first motorcycle in 1957, when a friend needed to sell a 200cc 1956 Triumph Tiger Cub.
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Mary McGee knew nothing about motorcycles at that time but was willing to learn and ended up falling in love with the sport.
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Mary McGee was already known to be an expert car racer, but the American Federation of Motorcyclists wanted to be sure she could perform on two wheels, so they told her she'd first have to attend a try-out.
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Mary McGee stopped road racing motorcycles in the fall of 1963 when there were coming rule changes for women even though at that point she was the only woman racing; however, these rules did not end up going into effect.
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The men all rode 650cc Triumphs while Mary McGee rode a 1962 CL72 250cc Honda Scrambler.
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In 1966 Mary McGee purchased a 250cc CZ and raced it through 1967 when she started racing Husqvarna motorcycles.
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In 1967 Mary McGee started desert racing in Baja California events.
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Mary McGee says that the hardest thing she ever did was Baja.
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Mary McGee started off in the over 60 class then moved on to the over 70 class a few years later.
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In 1956 Mary married Don McGee; the couple later divorced in 1976.
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That same year, Mary McGee was involved in a serious auto accident in New York.
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Mary McGee lived near Carson City, Nevada, and had a granddaughter.
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Mary McGee died from complications of a stroke in Gardnerville, Nevada, on November 27,2024, at the age of 87.
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Mary McGee's death occurred just one day before the release of the documentary Motorcycle Mary, which was released on ESPN's YouTube channel.
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On December 2,2012, Mary McGee was given the distinguished honor of being the FIM Woman Legend of 2012 at the FIM Gala in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
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In 2015 Mary McGee was the recipient of the 2015 Extreme Sports Award.