Ask Ping!
Ping,
What’s going on with Reed and Stewart? I know they are both emotionally charged and they both want to win but are the antics getting out of hand? Should they be blocking each other and “grabbing each other by the throat” as Larry Brooks opined? Is Larry Brooks full of crap? What’s your take?
Jimbo
Scottsdale
Dear Jimbo,
Think about the hours and hours that these two guys have spent riding motos, training and focusing on winning this championship. Second place sucks for both of these guys. Period. They might as well finish tenth if they don’t win. When you can understand what this means to both of them then you start to see why emotions are starting to redline. That said, there were definitely some shenanigans going on in Jacksonville. I don’t know who started the whole thing but Stewart came off badly on the TV broadcast by blocking and moving over on Chad. But I didn’t see it in person and I don’t know exactly how it went down. I would expect it to get worse before it gets better though. As for Brooks, he isn’t full of crap, he’s just a devoted team manager. If Reed were his guy he would have been at the AMA trailer, veins bulging out of his forehead, screaming about how James was riding dirty with Chad. Larry has a lot of time, effort, energy and money invested in this thing too and he’s acting as such. I’m just going to enjoy the racing and let the AMA officials handle the rest. I suggest you do the same.
P.S. Just for fun I’ve instructed all my riders to thank their dogs and their girlfriends first if they make the podium this weekend. You know… just for laughs. Don’t tell Larry.
PING
Hey Ping,
I was at my local Yamaha / Kawasaki / KTM dealership over the weekend when I saw a customer pull into the parking lot on a pretty sweet Chinese motorcycle. I was instantly reminded of your valiant effort to make a Chinese trail bike competitive against the big five's purpose-built motocross bikes. That article about your stint as a Team Tornado factory rider is definitely one of the most entertaining pieces of literature I have ever read. Plus, your bike was just too cool. When I got home I started searching the internet for info on the legendary Tornado 250, but found nothing. One Chinese motorcycle website led to another and eventually, I found something even better than the Tornado. I discovered the Shineray XY250GY-2. I know, it has a catchy name, right? Unlike the Tornado 250, this thing is actually intended for serious motocross competition. It even comes with the same graphics that the Chinese Motocross of Nations team had in 2006, complete with FIM logos.
You can tell that this is a quality motorcycle just looking at the picture. Look at all those little sparkles! That is some serious fit and finish. Based on the specifications, it weighs in at a light and nimble 118 kilograms, or about 260lbs. I think you and the guys at Racer X should give Chinese motocross engineering another shot and race this thing. It would be really interesting to see what the XY250GY-2 could do with a talented rider like yourself at the helm. Maybe it could actually climb the big hill at Glen Helen. At the very least, it would make for another great article!
Thanks for reading,
Patrick
Dear Patrick,
Racing the Tornado was one of the most embarrassing experiences of my career, but it did make for a good story. And, yes, the Throttle Jockey graphics were epic. But I am taken aback by the dashing XY250GY-2. It’s so… sparkly! Look at that beauty shine. I’ll bet it’s chock full of lead too. Yummy. And I see that it doesn’t have a linkage. That always makes for an exciting ride… especially coming down fast, rough hills like the ones at Glen Helen. I don’t know if my ego can handle another round with a bike from China. I’ll keep you posted.
PING
Dear Racer X,
The AMA motocross season starts in May and there are three new riders (championship contenders) from the GPs racing in America for the first time. Will it be a big step back for American motocross if the three riders will finish 1,2,3 in the standings after the last race in September?
Daniel Olérs
Borlänge, Sweden
Dear Daniel,
First of all, I highly doubt that all three of those riders [Pourcel, Rattray and Searle] will finish the season 1,2,3. They’ve got to contend with some pretty fast American riders like Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard, Jake Weimer, Nico Izzi, Blake Wharton, etc. And even if they did it wouldn’t be a big step back for American motocross because, at the end of the day, look where they’re racing. They left the GPs to come here. There’s a reason they did that. There’s a reason that, if given the opportunity, most riders on the GPs would be on a plane to the States faster than you could say “rainy days in Belgium.” And the reason is that this is the premier motocross and supercross series in the world. Now, you tell me something: What the hell is going on with those little dots that you have over certain letters? And what is the deal with Ikea? Is that you guys? I bought a desk set that was named Flärg and when I finally got all 8,500 pieces put together it looked like it belonged in a kindergarten classroom. Is everyone just really small in Scandinavia? Is that some kind of joke? Or is that just a scam to save money? You guys are on notice, Daniel. I’m watching you. Thänks for the letter. Täke care.
PING
Got a question for David Pingree? Email him at ping@racerxonline.com.
