AMC MX at Saddleback Park
AMC
at
Saddleback Park
Sunday April 13, 1975
By: Tom Corley
The American Motocross Club offered 600 big bucks to the day's big Pro winners. I must say that it was really a freaky day, the sun would ray down and then the clouds would dull things out again. But who cares about the weather or mud when there's money up for grabs. Everyone showed up for Hangtown even though it was a just a big mudsplash.
Now I like to plug shops and sponsors whenever their racers do really hot in a particular race that I'm covering. Let's face it, how many privateers are there in Inter-AMA racing that really make it and it's a plain fact that most all top local stars are fully supported by one shop or another. In the case of this AMC $600 purse race the shop that really had the riders on top and winning was DG Performance Specialties. Their guys on DG Honda racers were always in the running despite a serious full starting of Pros.In the first moto the super quick Honda of Mark Tyer (sponsored elsewhere) led radically over the field and took the win. DG's crazy Dave Williams was full-throttled in the same manner as Tyer but could only pull a second over Vulcan Cycle Works Drew Nelson and P.C.H. supported Chuck Lunde. Gary Denton of DG headed off his moto well ahead of most of the pack till he got slowed down by Lunde and dropped back into fifth.
In the second moto DG's Dave Williams rocketed out ahead and was never touched, he made up for having to follow Tyer in the first and took the pleasure of lapping a few cats. When Dave gets on the gas he not only wins but really hangs it out for the camera. Tyer on the No. 66 Honda grunted from the second place spot and was well ahead of Chuck Lunde while DG racer Mike Johnson bad fourth place in command and made up for a inisfortunate 18 place in the first go.
So at the end of it all radical Williams handled the best part of the money with the 125 Pro win over a tough field who followed him in this order: Mark Tyer, Chuck Lunde, Drew Nelson, Tim Lunde, Gary Denton, Kevin Crawford, Larry Ripley, Bob Marino, Mike Johnson, Evan Marcus, Arden Hadley, Jeff Bunn, Richard Franklin, Mike Pausell, Shane Hawley and Mark Lawrence.
Now the 250 Pro race was really a gas to watch, it was especially for me because I knew all of the first few winners real well. Bruce Baron (the "go Navy" man or Spider man) was really the fast cat today and got the holeshot in both motos. The Baron's YZ jetted out in front in the first moto and had a healthy lead at first. Then the Bike Shop of Orange ace Bob Stem crept up on Bruce and wouldn't bite off. Bob was buzzing Bruce from just feet behind and waited for a good chance to arrive so he could make a radical pass. Well that chance came and soon Bob was on top. Bob and Bruce kept going at it and the dynamic duo placed in front of John Petty, Mike McClung, Terry Hugueley and Dave Pessy who dragged his kickstand on his new Montesa.
In the second moto the racing was captured once again by Stem and Baron and Stem passed Baron after following for most of the moto. So the best of the 250 bucks went to Bob Stem and Bruce Baron while the rest of the field followed in this order: John Petty, Dave Pessy, Terry Hugueley, Steve Montague, Mike McClung, Keith Tomei, Richee Collins, Mike Follmer, Dale Luedtke, Keith Dysert, Brian Baugher, Raul Escamilla, Jerry Trojnar and Mike Gillman who DNF early when his YZ seized.
Joe Johnston is one of those super fast Pros who is always seen at the front of CMC racing action. Well today he gave AMC a try and was really in line to win alot of money. Joe was leading the 500 Pros class at first but then broke down so his day was a total loss. Maico-mounted Jon Derhammer then carried away the lead in the first moto and aways ahead of AAA Cycle Jack Hazard of Orange. Scot Gillman, who used to ride an Orange County Cycle YZ, has just lately been on a new Bike Shop CZ. Scot had a bum first moto and ended up in ninth. He went from one extreme to another on the roller coaster hill jump, first he did an outrageours front wheel header and then he almost looped it. In the second moto Scot Gillman really stunned everyone though, he hooked the lead and just held it over Jon Derhammer, Jack Hazard and Scot Cavness both from AAA Cycle. When the day was done the overall 500 Pro dough went to Jon Derhammer who really deserved the bucks after the 1-2 finish. Jack Hazard did super today with a 2-3 finish for the second place bucks over teammate Scot Cavness who had a consistent fourth place in both motos for third overall. The others who followed those three and made today one of the best 500 Pro showings in a long time were: Rick Blom, Scot Gillman, Jeff Clark, Steve Sullivan, Ted Hammer, Carl Garafy, Larry Kopp, Dale Hunter, Lee Evans, Mark Sigman, Dennis Hazlett, Joe Johnston and John Dickenson.
