mary mcgee motorsports pioneer baja racing legend
Mary McGee is an American motorsports racing pioneer. She was the first woman to compete in motorcycle road racing and motocross events in the United States. McGee started as a sports car racer in 1957. She drove the finest cars of the period, from her first race in a Mercedes Gullwing 300SL to racing Porsche Spyders and Ferrari Testa Rossa's McGee drove the best of the best.
After legendary racer and Porsche dealer, Vasek Polak, suggested she take up motorcycle racing to make her smoother in the car, McGee started road racing bikes in 1960. At a New Year's Eve party in 1963, McGee's pal, actor Steve McQueen said, "McGee, when are you going to get off those pansy road racing bikes and come out to the desert?" A few weeks later, she began riding dirtbikes and racing with McQueen and his stuntman pals.
She drove in a Datsun in the first NORRA Mexican 1000 in 1967. McGee was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018 and named an FIM Legend for her pioneering motorcycle racing career.
Her career accolades are as follows:
Past Pacific Coast Champion SCCA Sports and Formula Cars
First woman US MC/FIM motorcycle race in the US – 1960
First woman to finish the Baja 1000 - 1968
First woman to Road Race motorcycles in the US
First woman to race motocross in the US
First woman to compete in International motocross
Only person to ride the Baja 500 solo - 1975