Desert Races

Desert Races
90 minutes - $24.95

This DVD includes the 3 programs shown below!

Mattawa 100
30 minutes - 1975

The 1975 Mattawa 100 features 750 dirt bikes racing across 100 miles of sand and sagebrush near the eastern Washington town of Mattawa.  Aerial and slow-motion photography offers an exciting view along with comments by contestants.  The Everett Highriders Jeep Club and the Stump Jumpers Motorcycle Club assisted in the event. This 4-camera coverage of the race with aerial and slow-motion footage, offers an exciting view of a race in which only 250 riders reached the finish line!

Here's an excerpt from the program by writer/narrator Don McCune: “From Barstow to Bahr, from Moses Lake to Cherry Valley, where ever sand dunes roll and sagebrush beckons, the sport of desert racing is a test of nerve and skill. In the state of Washington, Mattawa is where it's at! 100 miles of whoopdedoos and puckerbrush, the Mattawa 100 is a dust-choked classic that attracts thousands of off-road cyclists each year. But Mattawa is more than just a racing event; it's a chance to see old friends, compare machines and surround yourself with the sights and sounds of a fast-growing new sport.” Originally aired under the title “Flat Out”.

Sunfair 300
30 minutes - 1977

Sponsored by the Washington Off-Road Racing Association, the Sunfair 300 is a desert race with 4-wheel-drive vehicles and rails (dune buggies) on a 225-mile course near Yakima that ranks as one of the toughest in the nation!  Members of the Yakima Ridge Runners staff the race course check points.

Here's an excerpt from the program by writer/narrator Don McCune: “Viewed from any angle, The Sunfair 300 is a cage-rattling classic which offers a little bit of everything, including a race that no one was able to finish! In a Baha Bug or a Four-by, we explore the torque-tightened world of off-road racing over a 225-mile nightmare course which would undergo a steadily increasing degree of deterioration aimed at bringing out the best or worst of those behind the wheel.”

Looking Back: The Life Of Don McCune
30 Minutes - 1993

This KOMO-TV special, hosted by Dick Foley, looks at Don McCune's remarkable 50-year broadcast career with clips from The Captain Puget Show, Challenge and Exploration Northwest.  Includes interviews of film crew and family, and some humorous out-takes from Exploration Northwest.

Even though Don had retired from KOMO 12 years earlier, KOMO TV produced this the week Don died in response to the flood of calls from fans.