Mert Lawwill, an American motorcycle racer, died on May 6, 2026, at the age of 85.
Born in Boise, Idaho, on September 25, 1940, he competed in the AMA Grand National Championship from 1962 to 1977. Lawwill won the 1969 AMA Grand National Championship as a member of the Harley-Davidson factory racing team and was voted AMA’s Most Popular Rider of the Year.
He won his first AMA national race at the Sacramento Mile in 1965, and his defense of the championship in 1970 was later featured in Bruce Brown’s 1971 documentary, On Any Sunday.
Mert Lawwill, 85, American motorcycle racer.