Ask Ping!
Friday, February 11, 2011 | 9:30 AM
ODI dates back to the 1980’s as the leader in grip manufacturing. Focusing primarily on the bmx and mountain bike industries through the 90’s and early 2000’s, ODI re-entered the motocross scene when they developed the patented lock-on grip system that eliminates wire and glue. Continuing to advance the way riders hold on to their bikes, ODI has worked closely with the teams they support such as Troy Lee Designs to create the product that is now being used by some of the top teams in the industry.
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Hey Ping,
I have two questions for you, oh omnipotent, columnist one....
- What the heck is up with the "eject" button? Too often I see guys bail when they get in trouble. Is this a new hip way to crash? One of the things my Dad taught me when I was young was to never let go of the handlebars, "That bike is your salvation," he'd say. Sure, I'm only a local guy and haven't ridden any supercross tracks, but I'm pretty good and hit all the big jumps at my local tracks. I've gotten cross-rutted before, thought I was going to endo, but never once has the thought crossed my mind to jump off my bike.
- Didn't I read a while back that Mercedes Terrell was going to be Miss Supercross again for 2011? But it appears she's a 30-second board girl again. Am I mistaken about what I read, or did something happen? Just wondering.
Thanks, and tell Davey I'll be looking for him at Indy.
Michael W. Smith
This dude should eject.
The big question that every rider hopes he never has to answer: Do I jump off or ride it out? There comes a time in the crashing process when a decision is made. You do your best to make a quick, rough calculation in your head regarding the trajectory of the bike, your speed, where and how you are going to land. At that point you have to decide, borrowing a hook from The Clash here… Should I stay or should I go now? In fact, we could even apply the next line: “If I go there will be trouble. If I stay it could be double.”
Okay, moving on. Sometimes, it’s best to stay on. If Doug Henry had jumped off during his infamous leap at Budds Creek he might have been much worse off. The suspension is the only cushion you have between your brittle bones and the dirt. But if Ryan Villopoto had attempted to stay on his bike at St. Louis last year, I believe he would have been worse off. A broken leg is better than a broken neck. The short answer, Michael, is that while the general rule is to hang on to the bike, there are times when it’s best to sever ties and fly like an eagle… Like a beautiful helmet-wearing eagle frantically trying to roll both windows up simultaneously on his imaginary car… and let your ankles take the beating.
Question 2: No idea what happened with Miss Supercross. Maybe she got tired of wearing leather pants, high heels and a bra while being ogled by thousands of pervy supercross fans in frigid weather and having to smile in perpetuity for five months. Just a guess. I’ll tell DC to look for you. Hey, DC, look for this guy at Indy. There you go.
PING
Dear Ping,
I'm a fan of yours and have been closely following you since you lost to Shae Bentley back in the day. My problem is: I had a favorite rider for years (let's call him Fim Terry) and he recently retired from the sport that he so dominated for years. He was one of a kind and they just don't make them like him anymore. From 125 SX championships (beating Ricky Carmichael by the way) to Summercross titles (beating Jeremy McGrath by the way) to representing America three times at the Motocross des Nations, he's a true American hero. Like Lee Majors, only better.
My question to you is how do I find a new "guy"? Any suggestions? I heard you on a really cool podcast show talk about Trey Canard...should I cheer for him? I need a new rider in my life because I just don't know if I have any more tears left to shed for Fim Terry. Any help you can give me to get over my heroes retirement and get back to my normal life would be appreciated.
Steve in Las Vegas
Best show ever... When I was eight.
It doesn’t sound like you have a normal life, but I’ll help you get back to the bizarre existence you call reality. First of all, Lee Majors was fantastic as Colt Seavers in one of my favorite childhood television shows, The Fall Guy. I loved him. But I don’t go for all that high-tech mumbo jumbo so the Six Million Dollar Man stuff wasn’t for me. As awesome as he was, you might be stretching it to call him an American Hero. The next point I would like to make crystal clear is that Trey Canard is my guy. Don’t try to creep in and be Trey’s turkey sandwich artist because I’ve already sent in my application for that position. I’m waiting to hear back from his HR gal (mom), but with my qualifications I think I’m looking pretty good.
Now, if you really need a guy I’d like to throw some options out there for you. How about Lil Hanny? We’ve both taken shots at him in the past, and rightfully so, but he was awesome last Saturday night and someplace way down deep inside me, in a squishy little spot near my pancreas, I think he’s finally turned things around for himself.
If you don’t like the cut of Josh’s jib then how about Nick “Snookie” Paluzzi? He has an awesome nickname. Or what about Justin “Realtree” Brayton? He’s practically invisible but he’s almost finishing on the podium! What he really needs is someone to run around and make some noise so people notice him. My last suggestion is Chris Blose. He lives right there in Vegas most of the year, you already write his press releases and he could show you how to turn your jiggly arms into perfectly sculpted guns. Well, less jiggly arms anyway. Good luck with your search.
PING
Ping,
Why is it that some riders such as Ken Roczen carry a lot of hype by the media before they are even proven on the track? I have no doubt in my mind that Roczen is an incredible rider, but he is 16, only raced outdoors in Europe (to my knowledge... if I'm wrong I'll join the assface who accused you of never racing from two weeks ago), and he has yet to really show what he is worth on the supercross track (and not just from practice times). Then you have Cairoli who is a highly successful GP veteran, and KTM picks a 16-year-old over him to race in the States despite how much Cairoli has wanted it and earned it over Roczen.
To the converse, anyone (basically everyone) who was betting on Villopoto to win the '08 East SX Lites title or Stroupe for the following year got their asses handed to them when the unexpected Canard and Pourcel won the championships respectively. I know it’s an unpredictable sport, but shouldn't the media wait just a tad longer before hyping up a rider?
Thanks,
Derek Weiler
Your 2031 supercross champ.
The kid is 16-years-old and winning GPs in Europe. He also came to the MXoN and beat the very best riders we had. And he did it convincingly. So it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that he generated some media buzz prior to the season. What we should have done was send out a memo to flaggers, track personnel and his competitors to keep their eyes peeled for a flying orange bike at the first few rounds. He was definitely having a tough time controlling that speed at the start of the series.
Sometimes we have a tendency to overdo it on up-and-coming kids. There are companies running full-page ads with Adam Cianciarulo already that compare him to Jeremy McGrath. I think it says something to the effect that Adam is seventy-two wins away from being the all-time supercross win leader. Hey, I like that kid, even though I’m still not sure how to properly pronounce his last name, but why do we have to put all this pressure and expectation on him already? Waaaay too much media hype for such a young kid, in my opinion. If we are going that route, why don’t we already start talking about potential children? Did you know that Grant Langston’s little sister is engaged to Ryan Dungey’s brother? Do you have any idea the type of superhuman moto-specific genetic material that kid is getting? The only way you could get a more impressive DNA strand for motocross is if Bob Hannah knocked up Roger DeCoster’s sister. And I’m not even sure he has a sister. You heard it here first, folks: There’s another Dungey that is going to completely dominate the sport of motocross is twenty years. Potentially.
PING
Got a question for Ping? E-mail him at [email protected]. Help pay for his children’s college tuition by visiting www.motocross101.com.
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Dear Steve in Vegas,
Might I suggest a new role as a rider elayson. Any one of the riders Ping mentioned could use one. I'd say the over/under on landing that job is definitely over. Good luck!
Darn Tootin' Ping-a-ling, darn tootin' good read, as always...
Love your approach Ping! I commented the other day on one of Weegs articles about the difference between those folks posting on here who have raced or do race and those that are just your "weekend warrior" but love the sport just as much, which again I have no issue with. I can see that there is a just a gap in "racer" knowledge that causes pissing matches and frustration on these comment threads and rebuttles by the RX staff which is often comical....P.S. I forgive you for running me off the track at Mammoth ( 95/96 I beleive). You and Ryno were doing some laps trying to keep up with RC (he was still intermediate) and i guess I didnt move over enough.....I love that track!!!
#194 is a fan favorite due to his honest interviews and the way he crashes. Seeing a top pro case a jump and kiss the handlebar, launch out of a corner with feet off the pegs and get tossed like a rag dog makes armchair racers go "Hey, I do that too, Kenny G Roczen gets me!"
I don't want the phenom to get hurt but I do stay glued to my 13" black & white wondering what the next lap has in store.
RACERX stop using this stupid Steve Mathes crap. Its like watching a bad standup comic, he is not funny. Maybe he was funny 3 yrs ago but is just tiring now. Its like NASCAR on FOX thinking Rutledge is funny. Now the fat piece of human debris infects Ping's column with his stupid ass humor. Is there really a shortage of letters from people that actually buy your Mag. instead of someone that is on your payroll?
Well, Derek, why wouldnt have anyone picked RV to win the lites in 2008?? He won the title the 2 years in a row right before then. He can into the season injured or he would have beat Canard that year too. Especially if Trey hadnt run him completely off the track. And Langstons sister and Dungeys brother, boy there are some good genes going on there. And the moto world is a small one..
@Michael Smith
Mercedes Terrel did an interview before the season stating she had a lot of very big gigs going on this year in her schedule (overseas I believe). She said she would be able to attend many, but not all the supercross races, so she decided to respectfully hand the title over to someone who would be able to be at all of the races this year. She said she would try to show up to as many races at the beginning of the season to see her fans before she leaves. Mercedes is gorgeous, but the new girl is doing a pretty good job In my opinion.
From what I have read when questions have been brought up is that Caroli by his own choice has not wanted to come over full time, so Roczen has not been picked "over" him.
Roczen had never been on a supercross track before coming to America this year. To take a 3rd place in his 4th attempt? This kid is*****y and knows he is fast. This is what it take to be great. Look at Hannah. He mouthed off and he backed it up. I don;t see this kid backing down. Decoster didn't want him to ride the 350 and he did what it took to get that chance to ride it. Plus I am a KTM rider!!!
Ping is just awesome and funny. Its great to have a voice in the industry from somebody with the same realist look on things and a good sense of humor. Keep it up PING!
P.S RV Rules!
Cairoli was supposed to race a couple SX's this season, but KTM nixed it, wanting to preserve him for the world championships. But he talks like he may be over here next year. Speaking of next year, can you picture Roczen and Barcia on the same track at the same time? It'll look like pinball. But, ya know Ping, I don't remember Roczen beating Dungee at the MXdN. But yeah, he pretty much beat everbody else.
What is the chanceability of Steve Matthes hanging himself now that he and his beloved Tim Ferry have grown apart? Maybe his mutant pal Kenny can be his elasion to hang around with Richard Simmons. We all know Kenny does Jazzercize and Sweating to the Oldies while watching that gay butterball, Simmons. After all, anyone with the senses of a drunken sloth can tell that Steve's unnatural love for Timmy Ferry demonstrates clearly that his wife is merely a vehicle for his greencard, and a beard for his gay life. He and Kenny should just come out of the closet and face their fears on the PulpMX Show.
Mercedes is hot... But it's cool that Dianna got the Miss SX gig now. She makes my jaw fall open unconsciously... "so hot want to touch the hiney" ... I'm not even sure if words come out of her mouth when she speaks because I can't hear any words.. Dianna Dahlgren might be the hottest women I've ever seen...
There were times long ago when I got totally out of control, with wrist-wrenching tank slappers or whatever, when I thought I would have been better off bailing than hanging on so long. I had to learn how to get off at the right time. In every crash, there's a time that is best to get off. Crashing can be fun, and part of that fun is knowing when to get off. Part of knowing when to get off is knowing how to get off. Sometimes you push off gently with one hand, hard with the other, and hard with your legs, in order to position yourself to land favorably. You have to be willing to get crazy enough to act without hesitation in executing sometimes extremely funky moves to land on your feet or back instead of landing on your face or head, or to prevent landing with your hands in your rear sprocket and spokes. You have to keep your eyes open, predict the dangers that are about to befall you as you are flying through the air or rag-dolling, see what you're heading toward during those brief glimpses between earth-sky-earth-sky, and do what it takes to minimize the damage to your body. One important thing is not to fear it; just act, act without hesitation and act with conviction in an appropriate way. Don't be a little biznitch and put both hands over your face. Face it head-on and take action!
Ping -- I think you missed the obvious choice for Matthes's next man hero. Dean Wilson. After all, sort of Canadian is better than not Canadian at all, eh?
Elayson? Elasion? Where do you guys dream up some of these words? I think you both meant liaison.
You loosers hatin on Matthes are just jealous punks , if you don't like him don't read it ! crybabies
RV would have been better off riding that one out.
Oh, I get it now! I'm just a gigantic pulsating moron that doesn't listen to the PulpMX show, so I don't get any of the inside jokes about hanging oneself, elasion, elayson, or chanceability. I'm a complete idiot, and often can be seen passed out with my head down the hole of the porta-potties at Glen Helen. Duuuuurrrrrr
Steve, maybe some of the factory teams could bring you on as a fluffer to relax riders between practice / heats / mains . Or, you could offer complimentary fluffing for all teams. This would allow you to get very intamate with all the riders and really give you some good information upon which to base your decision on your new "Favorite Rider"... Im just sayin..
Gezz BD200 even ping said KR smoked Short. >>>The kid is 16-years-old and winning GPs in Europe. He also came to the MXoN and beat the very best riders we had. And he did it convincingly.<<<<
Pinned49 the new girl does not hold a candle to MT IMO.
Mercedezzzzz is super hot!!!! But her front tooth is jacked up this year(check the close ups in HD). But even with a messed up meth tooth she is still hotter than the new girl.
I dont get it (or am i just lost)?... What does Mathess have to do with the Tim Ferry fan letter? ...Are the letters RX receives that lame anyways...why waste the time on silly questions.....surely Ping's experience and knowledge can be put to better use than picking a rider to cheer for.....flip a frickin coin or something....
Is "Hatin" the new gay word for the modern day bro-tard? Yes jealous of a overweight hack that works for RACERX online......oh if I could only dream so big. If magazine sales were not on the decline and MX/SX was a bigger sport, Matthes would be done because they would attract/afford actual people with journalistic talent. He has his place, but his 5yr old running jokes is just *****ing old.
redbeard is so out of the loop, he may as well change his name to spermbeard.
ping, that reference to' the clash'. is hilarious LOL
"if i dont it, could be double"
not sure but i'm guessing pizzacorner is the new gay bro-tard word for a looser that probally cleans pools for a living ! haha
In my biggest crashes, i woke up, not remembering the crash at all.
so, i am not sure exactly WHAT i did.
@HA-YA-N, you can always put a bag over her tooth.
I don't see why any true moto fan would rip on Mathes. Much respect for him. I don't see any other journalist putting in the effort he does to chase down riders and get tons of awesome interviews and pod casts. Have you not seen how much the PuplMX show has grown?... it's awesome. Who cares how much he wieghs and how funny or old his jokes are .. Dude has the whole industry on speed dial. Name one other jounalist that cuts through the BS and gives as much insight and access to the industry from newbies to legends, while at the same time embracing new technology such as twitter / pod cast etc... Keep it rockin Mathes and screw all these fags trying to pee on your parade
well said Hot Rod !
Pizzacorner does seem to have some issues.... Dianna is cuter than Mercedes. There was another blonde last year that was even prettier. Keep in mind, people almost always look better in person than on TV - even Erin Bates! In other words, these women are hot.... Roczen is destined for America full-time next year; this year is his "getting his feet wet" opportunity. Cairoli has given no indication that he wants to do more than a cameo or two in the U.S.; I'm sure KTM would rather keep him healthy for another run at the MX1 championship than get him hurt doing a "guest appearance" ... I see BillC is still baggin' on Shorty. Here's one for you: Short beats Roczen this weekend; nothing short of a crash or mechanical will prevent it.
jairtime.....I felt like the first half of your post was an article in Playboy or Hustler hahaha.
" I had to learn how to get off at the right time. In every crash, there's a time that is best to get off. Crashing can be fun, and part of that fun is knowing when to get off. Part of knowing when to get off is knowing how to get off. Sometimes you push off gently with one hand, hard with the other, and hard with your legs, in order to position yourself to land favorably. You have to be willing to get crazy enough to act without hesitation in executing sometimes extremely funky moves to land on your feet or back......"
That is some good sh*t, intentional or not.......
Sef154 go away, Not bagin on short dork. If you read some other threads you might know where that came from.
roczen has figured out that jumping like evel knievel in supercross is not cool or productive, and is not afraid of anything.
therefore caroli is not really even needed anymore in america or sx.
if caroli really 'wanted it', he would have made it happen.
let the euro stay where he is.
roczen is the the right choice for ktm, america and sx.
roger knows.
as a canadian, i would like to take the time to apologize for steve matthes. this 'repoter' is one of the top 5 biggest embarrassments our country has.
once again, so sorry about this guy.
..and Caroli is plain goofy lookin too......
Beautiful guys, simply beautiful!! Maybe it is because we arent talking about the top guys in the sport, or maybe you all just pulled your heads out of your asses, but I read through all the comments and did not see one stupid initial # combination nickname. No JS7, RV2, RD1, CR22.... hopefully the trend has died, in no small part to my comment last week! I was actually able to read through an entire comment section without wanting to kill someone for using those annoying unoriginal nicknames! Keep up the good work fellas!
Are pizzacorner and chowderhead dating?... I'm just saying
not sure what was more entertaining, The article or the comments? Both had good points that I agree with, and idiotic statments that seemed plain dumb. Keep up the good work everyone!!
Ooh, BillC is calling me names again. Let me know when you graduate from kindergarten. I read threads all last year. Rarely did one go by without you putting Shorty down. I don't expect you to admit to anything. It's your M.O.
*** Champs - RD1, TC1, JW1, CP1 ***
Numbers - RV2 MB3 RD5 JS7 IT9 JB10 KC11 TH12 HV13 KW14 DW15 JD16 JB17 DM18 ET19 BT20 BW21 CR22 MD23 BM24 RS25 MB26 NW27 TR28 AS29 KR30 WH31 JW32 JG33 DR34 KC35 CS36 DD37 CB38 MG39 TS40 TC41 NI42 WP43 LS44 VF45 AM46 JT47 ML48 BE49 MB50 SC51 MA52 JB53 JL54 TW55 PN56 BB57 TB58 MM59 KR60 AH61 RK62 JK63 DA64 HH65 JD66 TS67 MW68 HH69 TT70 RM71 NP72 TI73 AS74 JH75 KP76 IT77 SB78 CJ79 TA80 RM81 SS82 SD83 JD84 RC85 JM86 DY87 JG88 TF89 TO90 JC91 TR92 HC93 RR94 TM95 LS96 KS97 BB98 RA99 BT101 CP377 MA800
SUCK IT !!
Yes, Pizzacorner DEFINITELY sounds like he just lost a job to Steve Matthes because they liked Matthes' stupid sense of humor more than Pizzacorner's non-existent sense of humor. Don't sweat it, Pizza. Personality is only a job requirement half the time, and I'm sure you'll land on your feet. For example, would one even NEED running jokes if one earns a living screwing hinges onto screen doors? No, sir, it's just you and screen doors.
Anyway, I wouldn't be too surprised if Villopoto would've been better off staying on the bike--like the clip on youtube of Stewart casing a quad. Sometimes it works out.
Banjo Pete, I think Ryans bail job on that landing was perfect, but if you watch the replay he wasn't expecting the bike to hit him in the back which accelerated his fall. It was just plain bad luck. It also spun his body to the left a little too which exposed his leg sideways, In my opinion he did the right thing. P.S. Redbeard65 You may think Cairolli is goofy, but I doubt you have a better looking lady. Does that make you feel better to cut down on a class act guy? He's a racer not a model dude! Want to look at good looking guys? Go buy a playgirl. The ladies all say they are nice!
Damn, you can sure tell many of you are unemployed. You people must sit around and worry about the smallest things and just brew over them until you whine on Ping's site. Get off the endless unemployed benefits package and go get jobs and it will tire you out so you don't come in here and dog everybody like Mathes that does work for a living. Nice job Ping.
......there are times when it’s best to sever ties and fly like an eagle… Like a beautiful helmet-wearing eagle frantically trying to roll both windows up simultaneously on his imaginary car..... hilarious. Laughed out loud alot.
Ping - Solid!
Its strange how peacefully quiet is as your sailing in the air right after the eject button gets pushed and right before you body slam yourself all WWE like . Just when you think its not gonna be so bad , your bike ends those thoughts like a heat seeking missle . Nothing more noble than saving your radiators with ribs.
JimM
Carlsbad
MattB23, Dude. step away from the ledge ! Exactly how much time did you spend torturing yourself with that list ?
JImM
Excellent work Pingster! I lol'd that pizzacrone dude is a creapo!
Is Pizzacoroner really STEVE COX??? HUH? IS IT?
Ahhh... no more comments... guess the party is over. But I wonder will roczen finish the main on two wheels? Will Dungey rule? Is Steward gonna dominate? Can Canard get a good start? Should I start my bike tomorrow? Guess I'II sleep on it.
That post is a work of art, MattBennet23.
Wow that list is impressive, whoever you are, you poser little *****, you obviously have way to much time on your hands. Move out of your mothers basement and a get a job and a life you useless piece of shit.... Suck That *****...
Once again Sef154 poves he is a blowhard by reading my post. Talk about being a child, You are the one who cries and says I am done here, I will not read your post's anymore and always has some type of insult in his post and now you are crying that I called you a name!! I hope you don't go away you are funny!! Makes me feel good about myself and my life when I see people like you. What a joke you are.
Sef154, its one of those BILLC stalking me again. I guess I need to get another restraining order. And Bill, supercross is a whole different animal, if you dont realize that, I'm wasting my time. And I never saw Shorts name mentioned anywere in Pings response, are you reading the right article??
OK BD what ever little man. He said >>> He also came to the MXoN and beat the very best riders we had. And he did it convincingly<<< And anyone who knows anything knows KR passed SHORT on a 250F and beat him... Does that help you under stand now??
It doesnt help YOU one bit, your a spoiled little boy sometimes who thinks he has to be right all the time. Like I said before, it SUPERCROSS moron. A whole different animal, god you are stubborn and childlike, now go away and leave me alone you child.
"Sometimes" thinks he has to be right? Come on, bd, you're giving him way too much credit. Can you imagine having to work with this guy? Yikes!
what the hell pinned49 ? cant come up with your own handle??? Never would have known langstons sis was with a Dungey. Is that Blake dungey or another Dunge??? Bet you all didn't know Reed, Langston, Byrner are all swingers. Yea, you heard it
Well BILLC, who finished ahead of who in the race in Houston?? Short did right?? Admit you were wrong now>>