Racing Mister Fahrenheit

Director's Statement

As a documentary filmmaker deeply interested in the human story of people in extraordinary circumstances, intimate access to a 74-year-old financier clad in flashy motorcycle jackets hurling himself down salt flats to chase a “pinch of immortality” sounded rich with potential drama. What surprisingly unfolded in Racing Mister Fahrenheit was a deeply profound and human story of the inescapable nature of death, wrestling with our own mortality, and ultimately the legacy we leave behind.

From our first conversations together, mortality was a topic of our discussions that Bobby approached with candor. I was interested in exploring whether Bobby was running from death by chasing a dangerous, youthful endeavor. Was he trying to meet death on his own terms in a “glorious” crash? Or was he perhaps trying to conquer death by cementing his name in a record book? I’m grateful that Bobby provided honest answers, intimate access, and handed me the keys to go down this impactful filmmaking road together. What unfolded was nothing short of a Homeric epic fraught with love, loss, grief, adventure, and a journey to what lies beyond.

Racing Mister Fahrenheit is a moving human story of impermanence and adventure.  My hope is that 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.

About the Director

Michael Rowley is an award-winning documentary director, producer, cinematographer and editor living in Dallas, Texas. Rowley’s work has been characterized as defiant, visceral and deeply human. Themes of justice, human connectivity and harrowing circumstances emerge throughout his films. From tear-gas filled streets of refugee camps to the open prairies of the American West, Rowley’s voice has earned him the Austin Film Society’s North Texas Pioneer Film Grant twice, five festival jury awards for exceptional work, and press features in The New York Times, Variety, Deadline and The Globe and Mail. Following his feature documentary directorial debut Hurdle (2019), and co-directing Praying for Armageddon (2023) with Tonje Hessen Schei, Racing Mister Fahrenheit is Rowley’s third documentary feature film.