DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. (May 7,
2026) - AMA
Pro Racing joins the
entire flat track
community in
remembering Mert
Lawwill, one of the
most influential and
respected figures in
the history of the
AMA Grand National
Championship.
Lawwill, the 1969
AMA Grand National
Champion and a 1998
inductee into the
AMA Motorcycle Hall
of Fame, was among
the defining riders
of American
professional
motorcycle racing’s
golden era. A
factory
Harley-Davidson
rider for the
majority of his
career, Lawwill
combined rare
mechanical
understanding with a
smooth, determined
riding style that
made him one of the
sport’s most admired
competitors.
Born September 25,
1940, in Boise,
Idaho, Lawwill began
racing on local TT
tracks and in
scrambles events
across the Northwest
before moving to
California to pursue
the sport at its
highest level. After
turning professional
in 1963, he joined
the Harley-Davidson
factory team in 1964
and remained with
the manufacturer
throughout his
professional racing
career.
Lawwill earned his
first AMA National
victory at the famed
Sacramento Mile in
1965. Four years
later, he captured
the 1969 AMA Grand
National
Championship, a
season that placed
him among the elite
riders in one of the
most demanding eras
of the sport. He was
also voted AMA’s
Most Popular Rider
of the Year in 1969.
Over the course of
his 15-year
professional racing
career, Lawwill
amassed 161 AMA
Grand National
finishes and 15 AMA
Grand National
victories. His
resume included wins
across the diverse
disciplines that
defined the Grand
National era, from
TT and half-mile
competition to the
sport’s iconic mile
events.
Lawwill’s fame
reached well beyond
the racetrack
through Bruce
Brown’s landmark
1971 film On Any
Sunday. The
film helped
introduce millions
of viewers to the
discipline, skill
and humanity of
motorcycle racers,
while inspiring
generations of
riders and fans.
After retiring from
professional racing
in 1977 due to an
inner-ear disorder
that affected his
balance, Lawwill
continued to shape
two-wheel
competition through
design and
engineering. He
became a respected
motorcycle frame
builder and later
applied his
knowledge of
suspension, chassis
dynamics and
handling to mountain
bikes. His work
contributed to major
advances in off-road
bicycle design, and
he was inducted into
the Mountain Bike
Hall of Fame in
1997.
Lawwill also devoted
his ingenuity to
helping others ride.
Through his adaptive
and prosthetic hand
designs, he helped
amputees and injured
riders return to
motorcycles and
bicycles, extending
his influence from
championship racing
to life-changing
mobility.
Mert Lawwill’s
career embodied the
full spirit of
American flat track:
courage, creativity,
independence and
relentless pursuit
of speed. AMA Pro
Racing remembers him
not only as a Grand
National Champion,
but as a builder,
pioneer, ambassador
and beloved member
of the racing
family.
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