Four-time Australian Mr Motocross champion Stephen Gall has covered more than 60 years of racing, rider training and film work in a new 328-page autobiography.
How do you fit a life of racing almost anything with wheels into one book? Stephen Gall has had a go. The Australian motocross great, known to almost everyone as Gally, has released his autobiography, No Easy Way: The Stephen Gall Story.
The book runs to 328 pages across 28 chapters and covers more than 60 years of motorcycles and motorsport. It begins with a young Gall lapping the grass on a minibike at his father’s farm.
Far More Than a Motocross Career
Gall is a four-time Mr Motocross champion and one of the biggest names in Australian motocross. Yet that title covers only part of the story. He also raced supercross, dirt track and desert events before moving to four wheels.
On four wheels, he competed in speedway, sprint cars and circuit racing. After that came rider training and, less predictably, the film industry. Gall worked on Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa, and those experiences get their own chapter.
Speaking to Yamaha, Gall said people don’t always know which part of his life they recognise him from. Fair enough, given the list.
Why Write It Now
According to Gall, the push came from other people. For years, he was told he should write a book about his career, and he eventually agreed.
Among all his achievements, he singles out his induction into the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame. He called recognition alongside so many great motorsport figures a very special honour. The book also includes stories from behind the scenes of his racing years. One chapter is dedicated to fellow Australian motocross great Anthony Gunter and the adventures the pair shared.
A Long-Running Team Effort
Gall wrote the book with long-time collaborator Andrew Clubb. They have worked together since around 1984, when they produced stories for Australian Dirt Bike Magazine.
Graphic artist Lance Turnley, an old schoolmate of Gall’s, handled the design. That included laying out the book’s large collection of photographs.
Five Decades With Yamaha
Yamaha runs through nearly all of it. Gall’s relationship with the brand spans more than five decades. It began with racing and grew to include rider training, adventure riding and ambassador duties.
Sean Goldhawk, Marketing Manager Land Mobility at Yamaha Motor Australia, said that kind of commitment to one brand is rarely seen anymore. He also credited Gall with inspiring riders to improve, not just teaching them.
For his part, Gall says one of the most rewarding parts of his career is meeting riders who went through his schools decades ago. Most of them, he notes, still have a smile on their face.
Still Riding
An autobiography often marks the end of a career. That isn’t the case here. Gall still rides as a Yamaha ambassador, spending time on the Ténéré 700 and Ténéré 700 World Raid. He also keeps a YZ450F close at hand.
He also helps raise money for Australia’s Motocross of Nations team through merchandise sales and auctions.
No Easy Way is available from noeasyway.com.au/shop, MXstore and Go The Rat Racing. Gall’s career covered motocross, sprint cars and Mad Max sets, so a book with all three is the only accurate way to tell it.
