My name is Anna Hunington and I'm 16. I really want to race I have been riding since I was 5, but i have 1 problem.... I have all my gear but my bike is a CRF230F, is it anyway possible to race this bike or do I have to get a 2 stroke?
Anna in North Carolina

Dear Anna,

Yes, Honda makes a CRF230F.

Um, I’m not sure how far out in the sticks you live in North Carolina but two-strokes are kind of out. They might not be completely dead but they are on life support with a weak pulse, shallow breathing and a catheter. I didn’t even know Honda made a 230 but as long as the thing was made in the last decade you could probably just show up and race it. The women’s class is pretty eclectic; 125s, 250Fs and even 80s are commonplace in the Powder Puff class. I know that class name isn’t exactly politically correct but I still like the sound of it. Good luck.
PING

Ping,
Let me ask you this: When are the SX background scenery riders gonna retire ? Basically what im asking is, when do you think guy's like Evans, Voss, Ramsey, Carpenter, Preston, Gibson, Lewis, Dement should give it up? Aren’t you sick of watching the same guy ride around in 10th through 20th place every weekend (or in most our cases listen to Dolly Wood and Grayson Maggot or whatever their names are )? I mean you got the hint and retired from SX when you knew we sick of watching your azz riding around every weekend, when you knew you would
never win another heat race , main or let alone a championship.
Signed,
Alessi Fan 4Life
P.s.: Great job on the voice over during the nationals.

Dear Alessi fan,

The next SX champion? photo: Steve Bruhn

That was spoken like the completely ignorant tool that you obviously are. You have no idea how hard those guys work during the week or how badly they want to improve their finish position. The truth is that I don’t either because I’m not around them all day when they are training and riding. Right now, Carmichael, Stewart and Reed are on a different level than the rest of the field. They are the anomaly, not the rest of the pack. With the three of them gone Travis Preston is, potentially, the next Supercross champion. So, why should he retire? He is probably making ten times the money you are and enjoying what he does for a living. Envy is a real kick in the sack, isn’t it? Howzabout you just sit down, take a pull off your Budweiser tall-boy and enjoy the races without the disrespectful rhetoric. Mmmm-kay?
Alessi fan? Hey, wait a moment, is this you Tony?

PING

Ping,
I have been riding for some time now, long story (maybe) short.  I got my first dirt bike in 1984, it was an XR100.  I rode it to the ground before I graduated in 1986.  I have ridden other friends’ bikes like a Harley 250 dirt bike and a 1985 CR125 Elsinore back in New Jersey.  It’s funny because I now live in Lake Elsinore, CA. where in 2001 I bought a YZ426F and had been riding it until October 2005 when I got my 2006 KX250F.  I’m 5 minutes from the track and have seen a few pros there.  I also rode Saddleback before they closed it.  Man that was a nice track!  I even had McGrath jump over me.  Man, I love this bike.  I’m by all means not a big guy (5’7” 160 lbs) at 38 years old.  I have been watching and following Motocross and Supercross since which led me to get the YZF.
     So my question to you is that I have seen all these Nac-Nacs and whips etc.  I really would like to learn how to do a whip, any suggestions?  Maybe after I learn I could learn to scrub too!

Want to learn how to do a Nac-Nac? photo: Courtesy of Moto Verte

Dear ?,
Wow, that “short” story was exhausting. I did my best to follow it but you lost me. I thought you said that you have a new 2006 Kawasaki but then at the end of your rant you referenced a YZF. And then you ask how to do a whip and how to scrub? First of all, I’m not sure you are ready for the whip or the scrub. That would be like me asking Ben and Jerry the intricacies of making ice cream and thinking I could do it myself just because I enjoy the occasional pint of Cherry Garcia (and by “occasional” I mean daily and by “pint” I mean gallon). Anyhoo, I’m not that great at scrubbing or throwing whips so let’s just save ourselves some time here. I’ll get back to my ice cream and you head back out to Elsinore and see if you can get Jeremy to jump over you again. Good luck.
PING