A fortnight ago we showcased the sensational Moto Guzzi sidecar, Mister Fahrenheit, dreamed up by the late great Bobby Haas and brought to life by the master Craig Rodsmith, for their attempt on a world land speed record. Now we can announce a captivating new documentary feature film, from Dallas-based award-winning filmmaker Michael Rowley: Racing Mister Fahrenheit. This is by no means a sequel to the hugely popular ‘Leaving Tracks’, a film that captured the bikes and bonds of the Haas Moto Museum. Instead, this is the moving and intimate final chapter of a legendary tale, about an extraordinary individual and his philosophies on life and living, those he loved and the amazing motorcycle that brought them all together for one last incredible ride.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll instantly know the name Bobby Haas. As a financier, he made mega millions with his acquisition of Dr Pepper, A&W and 7UP, before reinventing himself as one of the greatest aerial photographers in National Geographic’s history and then becoming “The Patron Saint of Custom Bike Builders’ with his immense generosity and the establishment of the Haas Moto Museum. Sadly the world lost Bobby, but his legacy lives on in more than just his unbelievable accomplishments, it pulses through the veins of all the lives he touched.
Director Michael Rowley explains how this new film starring Bobby and his motorcycle came to be.“In 2021, I received a message from Bobby Haas, asking me to make a documentary of his quest to break a world speed record on a one-of-a-kind motorcycle. My ears perked up. As a documentary filmmaker deeply interested in the human story of people in extraordinary circumstances, Bobby’s search for a “pinch of immortality” sounded rich with excitement and potential drama. I quickly learned that Bobby Haas was a supremely unique individual. He had unquenching energy and a sparkle in his eyes like a kid up to something mischievous, but knowing they could get away with it”
In personally selecting Rowley to tell his story, Bobby ensured he had a filmmaker who was not only an award-winning talent, but who told deeply human stories and could capture both the thrill of the record chase as expertly as he could allow Bobby’s innermost thoughts to be organically absorbed by the lens. And as if by osmosis, Bobby’s strength, candour and vulnerability allowed the other subjects of the film to find their own. No more critical in this tale than Stacey Mayfield, a successful businesswoman in her own right, who became Bobby’s life partner, his ‘muse’ and with whom he built the mecca, the Haas Moto Museum in Dallas.
“Despite my tremendous loss, I was determined to complete the film, ‘Racing Mister Fahrenheit,’ as Bobby would have wanted me to do. I’m determined to remain diligent and to make sure the world continues to enjoy what Bobby and I unselfishly created together out of a true passion for motorcycles and the motorcycle community. I’m excited to share through this film what has been an emotional and profound journey that adds to Bobby’s tremendous legacy,” Stacey tells us.And then there is the man who builds the bikes, the best friend and the shoulder to lean on, Aussie Craig Rodsmith.
Amongst a cast of formidable characters, Rodsmith is both a true master in the art of custom motorcycle building and also the very essence of the biker brother that Bobby sought out and had an uncanny knack for finding all over the globe. “It truly was an amazing experience. Despite countless setbacks, it became a very healing experience for all involved that had become Bobby’s ‘family’. I think this film is a wonderful way to contribute to Bobby’s incredible legacy,” Craig told us.
This is a film about a man we all came to love, who atop his world-renowned sidecar racer, hand-built by Craig Rodsmith, turns the energy of his twilight years towards cementing his name in the land speed record books. But when things take a sudden and devastating turn, Bobby and those closest to him must pick up the pieces and face death at the finish line. It’s about bikes and the brotherhood, greatness and grief, and ultimately Bobby’s ability to bring out the best in us all, ‘I wanna make a supersonic man out of you’, and Mister Fahrenheit certainly did. “My hope is this film will remind audiences that life is meant to be lived. Epic adventures are still possible.
Defining success is a personal journey. And, ultimately, once we’ve left this race of life, there is more past the finish line,” Director Michael Rowley tells us. The documentary feature film Racing Mister Fahrenheit is set to make its world premiere later in 2023.