will tries to defend his title from fellow competitors David Aldana , Dick Mann , Jim Rice and eventual 1970 champion Gene Romero .
The footage of Mert and his fellow competitors came from Miles , Half-Miles and TT races from all over the U . S ., and every inch of film is simply stunning – especially the helmet-cam stuff Bruce worked out . Bruce and Mert traveled to several races in Mert ’ s van , with the film crew usually flying to meet them . Mert was the favorite to repeat as Grand National Champion , but a bunch of mechanicals took him out of the running late in the season .
But it ’ s the movie ’ s opening scenes that are perhaps most compelling , first with Mert opening the door to his van and exposing his KR dirt tracker and , immediately after , the dramatic footage and sound of Mert tearing around Half-Mile on his bucking , sliding Harley and pitching the thing into a left-hander at 80 mph , all shot from a backwards- and forward-pointing helmet cam setup Bruce pioneered using a quiteheavy film camera . Every time I watch this the goosebumps come in waves ; it ’ s a grand moment in modern filmmaking , and one that is not to be missed .
22 | JANUARY 2021 | THUNDERPRESS . NET