Greeves with a Harley-Davidson sticker on the tank to keep the folks in Milwaukee happy .
“ There were some crazy crashes that day ,” Malcolm told me . “ One was Steve ’ s loop-out ; he hit the ground pretty hard but bounced right up , faking the heart attack ! Mert fell hard , too , high-siding after landing from a jump , his hip smacking the engine case and front wheel .”
For the final day of filming , Bruce wanted more of this goofing
off / fun riding stuff , and contacted the commander at nearby Camp Pendleton , explaining what he had in mind . “ No way , no how ,” came the reply . Bruce mentioned this to Steve , who asked Bruce for the officer ’ s phone number . Steve called , introduced himself , told the commander about the motorcycle movie he was involved in , and asked again to use the beach for a few hours . The commander said , “ Anything you want , Mr . McQueen ! Can we send some Marines to help ?”
Malcolm told me the riding that afternoon was insanely fun , especially the power-sliding on the moist sand during low tide . “ That sort of sand is usually pretty smooth ,” he said , “ with lots of consistent traction , and I loved doing big medium-speed doughnuts in it . With the throttle on it ’ s a power slide , and crashing on the low side isn ’ t too bad . But if you chop the
Despite the crashes , Steve McQueen was ‘ a heckuva rider ’ according to Malcolm Smith . He was fast in the desert or on a motocross track , and his auto racing exploits are well-known and -documented .
THUNDERPRESS . NET | JANUARY 2021 | 29