Excellent Turnout For AME Bucks and Mud Part 1
AME
at
Indian Dunes
Sunday February 9, 1975
By: Chris Hatounian
AME-MX INDIAN DUNES PARK SUNDAY, FEB.9 STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS HATOUNIAN "Barney, get your bunz up! It's time to get up and get ready for the races! "Huh, how, who, why? But jeez Jeff, it's rainin' like a sumbitch! "So what? A little rain never hurt anyone! Besides, today's race is going to be put on by American Motocross Enterprises with a six-hundred dollar purse for the Pros and fifty percent trophys for the sportsman! "I don't care if it's a thousand dollars purse today! It's rainin! There were probably about 500 people around with the exact same words as Jeff and Barney. And there were about one-hundred and fifty with a different opinion. Aqua-motocrossers don't come in large quantities but they still come. And today brought out more than the usual "wet" crowd. As you've probably gathered, AME isn't or hasn't been the dry club for more than one of their past races. Jerry Shore should reconsider on the club name. American Mudocross Enterprises? Anyway, they came out to race and the stakes were pretty high too. And Pro's out were Jim West, Eddie Cole, Tim Lunde, Billy Payne, Willy Harper, David Taylor, DeWayne Jones and many others. Many many others. In fact, it was one of the best Pro rider turnouts that AME has ever produced!
Out of all those Pro's in all three classes, Jim West, Eddie Cole and Tim Lunde were the top finishers. West did it in the 500 class by winning both mote's, Cole in the 250 with a first and a second and Lunde in the 125 with a first and a second. The 125's line up was sort of a who's who of AME with better Pro's mixed in. DeWayne Jones blew his factory Can-Am up in practice and split home before the races started. The rest of the DNF's occured during the first moto.
The 125's blasted off the line in the first of two-thirty minute moto's with Honda-mounted Dave Taylor in the lead and Lunde trailing in second. Yamaha-mounted Tom Ryan was holding a slight edge on Honda rider Jeff "EME" Wecker for third with Thad Friday, Joe Root, Mike Pillar and Randy Bena following. Then the DNF's started to happen. First it was Root and Pillar to go down and out, then Thad Friday's bike slowed rapidly until quitting and then the worst person to stop, Taylor. Dave pulled off with a sour motor, letting Lunde take the lead for the rest of the thirty minutes.
Tom Ryan was holding a secure second, minus one shock, until his motor lost it's life. Randy Bena then took over second for good. Wecker hung in there for third. At least it looked like Wrecker! Chances are it was Vincent Clark on a Suzuki. Can't really tell with all that artificial glop all over them.
The second moto was running and Lunde was once again with the lead but hard riding Clark was on his tail as was Wecker. Then Wecker went out with a broken rod. A claimed unbreakableone. Lunde was getting a little uncomfortable now as Clark was really putting the pressure on and soon went by for first 'till the finish. Lunde held on to second and Bena took third. Overall, Lunde won it with Clark taking second and Bena third. The most interesting part of the race was that Lunde was mounted on a stone stock Honda. Rumor has it that Donny Emler of FMF sold Lunde's bike from under him and Tim was stuck with a stocker.
The real who's who line-up was brought out by the 250 rider's. Included in the battles were Cole, Dave Zahrt, Mike Jenkinson, Payne, Harper with lots of extras to spare. Payne jumped to an early first moto lead on his Revell-sponsored CZ. Payne is now campaining the CZ's and his latest is the new 75 model. Billy ran away and hid from the entire 250 field for the duration of the thirty minutes. Willy Harper, also on a quick Revell CZ, crashed on the first lap while in second and had a job ahead of him in trying to catch the leaders. Gary Huber, Maico-mounted, took over second while Zahrt, Harper and Mike Jenkinson disputed placing higher. Harper began to make his charge as did Eddie Cole and both started moving up until reaching second and third. The climax of the moto proved the most exciting as Cole put a hard last moto charge-on that brought him right up to Harper, passing Willy right on the finish line. The crowd could hardly wait for the next moto.
West Cycles sponsored Jenkinson, Payne and Cole, all got to the first turn first with Payne taking the lead. A few laps later, Harper went out with a stuck engine ending his chances for the day. Jenkinson then began to fade as Dave Zahrt took over third. Cole then got by Payne for the lead 'till the end. Billy kept up his charge but not for long.
Jenkinson then began to get a second wind and charged back up to second before the finish. Overall, mister photogenic hisself, Ed Cole took top money on his Steve's Bultaco. Payne captured second for Revell with Dave Zahrt taking third.
Jim West rolled his Mike's Racing Center Maico up to the line, probably knowing dam well that he would put mud in all his competitor's teeth. Well, he did just that to all his fellow racers with the exception of Kenny Zahrt (Yam) and Dave Haugh. Ya know why? Because those two wore full face helmets. Get it? It's a joke! Ha ha....Oh Well. We all can't be Don Rickles. Well, West didn't get the taste of competition from anybody until half way through the moto. That's when he lapped the entire field! Zahrt was entered on a monoshock Yamaha but claims it's a piece of s.....Ken then pulled a fast one on the 500 class in the second moto by riding his brother's 250. You can't do that, Ken. He was protested of course, and it went through. About the only rider who could keep sight of West was David Haugh, who took second on his Steve's Bultaco. Von Peterson took third place for the day on his Maico. Sponsor? You got me!
