Draz, Harper, Haugh - Indian Dunes Champs - AME - Indian Dunes Championships - Final Race
Things got a touch tight in the first corner for this bunch of 125 riders during the Indian Dunes Championships. Hatounian photo.
AME
at
Indian Dunes
Sunday May 4, 1975
By: Chris Hatounian
This was it. The final race that would determine the Champion of his or her class. The last two races have been hectic for some, while others have had an easy go at a championship win. All I can say is all the rider’s that participated in the event really put all they had into it and they all were awarded with prizes such as oil, gloves, leathers, tuning plus much more.
Indian Dunes spread rumors of a completely re-designed International course and certainly didn’t go back on their word as rider’s were greeted with one of the most out of sight lay-outs that I’ve ever seen. The big grass hill was incorporated into the course and the fences were moved back, making a longer and more chaDenging circuit for the riders. Drop-offs and jumps were added and I didn’t here one complaint about the course, only compliments. I won’t go into too much detail about a few races as in the past. Instead, I’ll give a rundown of all the class winners and their past series finished if not already mentioned.Ray Lopez holds a slight edge over Tim Lunde. It was a battle of the FMF'er vs. the C.H. man. Both bikes are pretty trick for 125 machines. Hatounian photo.
Mini class rider, Ricky Ryan won two out of three races, having trouble only in the mudder, which is pretty consistent, to be the 1975 Mini champion aboard his Honda XR-75. He rode hard in all three races and deserves the title he worked for. Powder Puff rider, Janice Kline, has always been a Dunes threat and will now hold the Indian Dunes Powder Puff title which she won aboard a C.H. Industries Honda. Kline, always at the top of the Powder Puff results wherever she races, deserved the title more than anybody.
Mike Harnaker, as mentioned before, is always in the limelight of the 100 Junior results and won all three overalls of the series for the 100 Junior Championship title for 1975. Young Mike will be a big threat when he advances to the bigger bikes if and when he does and I will personally be watching this guy this year. Good work, Mike. Mike rides a Suzuki for Allied Cycles.
I’m not sure there’s enough words to describe the way young Willy Simons has been riding through the series as the Minicycle World Champion now has another championship under his belt. Racing in the 125 Junior class, Willy has really got it together on his self-sponsored Honda and will be one rider to watch when Intermediates hit his way. When his bike held together, he was long gone from all the competition.
Mark Kiel was flying high at the BCA motocross at Indian Dunes on their new track. Hatounian photo.
Mark Rickey, a former 125 rider, got hold of a 250 Monoshock Yamaha and has rarely been beaten out here at the Dunes in the 250 Junior class. Rickey rode consistently through the series winning the final which clinched him the 250 Junior Indian Dunes title. He, like all others, deserved the title very much. John Oswald, a long time 125 Intermediate at the Dunes, stomped on all competition at all three races to garner the 125 Intermediate title. Honda-mounted Oswald has been known for some last lap fancy antics which get him the wins he goes for. Sponsor unknown.
Tom Bice, also a former 125 rider of the past, got hold of ave very sano 400 CZ and started wailing around the Dunes courses. Capturing overall’s in all three 500 Junior races can account for the fact that Tom is the 500 Junior Champion of Indian Dunes. Tom and his CZ are sponsored by Horizons Unlimited. Manny Angulo, mounted on a CZ, stayed up in the standings in the series while capturing the 250 Intermediate honors which was probably decided by his grand slam victory in today’s final. Being one of the more challenging classes didn’t hold down Manny and his CZ for the title. Finally rounding out the Sportsman classes was Greg Parry aboard a Monoshock Yamaha who blitzed all the competition for the 500 Intermediate title of the year. Parry failed to finish anything lower than first in all three rounds which kind of tells you he earned his title well.
Don Draz started out the Indian Dunes Championships with a new sponsor, Revell’s-Two-Stroke, and rode like hell through the series to be the 1975 125 Pro champion for the Revell people. Don, a Hopetown class winner of last year, which is saying alot, has been bashing around the Dunes for the last year and showed tremendous improvement in the last few months. To my knowledge, Don didn’t have a single DNF of the series which is also saying alot for Draz and Revell alike. So you now have Don Draz as the new 125 Indian Dunes Champ. It couldn’t have been won by a more deserving person. Willy Harper, a long time associate with the Revell people, was considered a champ by many before he even won the real thing. Willy has a very long list of wins at the Dunes and it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone to see him the 250 Pro champion for next year. Riding a potent Revell-CZ through the series, Harper showed his opponents how to handle a CZ with his spectacular riding style. The future looks good for Willy Harper. By the way, that makes two championships won with Revell tuning.
Winning the 500 Pro title was relatively easy for Bultaco-mounted Dave Haugh, as his main and only competition came from a rider who made a quick comeback. That rider, Tom Claire, tried so hard to get Haugh through the series but mechanicals dropped him to second for the series, leaving Dave with the series under his belt. Dave, who never seems to get tired, once straddled a CZ and quickly adapted to the light weight Bultaco to start a string of 500 wins that lasted all the way through the championship series. So there it is. Your 1975 Indian Dunes Champions. That just about raps up the 1974 season and your new ‘75 Champions are already in the records. The best of luck to all of you.