On Any Sunday helped make motorcycling mainstream in the early 1970s , but this Sports Illustrated cover didn ’ t hurt , either . throttle too much you get high-sided , which can hurt . Steve did it several times that afternoon .”
Steve and Mert
Malcolm says McQueen was always very competitive and worked very hard at leading whenever we rode together , but crashed a lot during those final days . “ At the end of the third day we all jumped into Bruce ’ s hot tub ,” Malcolm says . “ Steve was a mess ; what wasn ’ t black and blue was skinned up , or both ! Still , Steve was a very competent rider and loved motorcycles .”
“ You expect movie stars to be magnets ,” Malcolm added , “ but Steve was in another league . People – women especially – noticed him everywhere he went , but he was usually quite good about the attention and autograph seeking unless they were rude . He also had a helluva sense of humor . I remember riding with him to Mexico in his hopped-up Ford pickup to do the sand dune filming , and at the border toll booth he just blasted through , knowing that Bruce – who was right behind us – would pay for both of us . He was very funny at times .”
Malcolm didn ’ t meet Mert until filming began . “ I figured [ Mert ] and Steve would be main attractions , and throughout filming I had no idea my bits would figure so prominently . Bruce never let on , and I ’ m not sure
30 | JANUARY 2021 | THUNDERPRESS . NET