Hey Ping,
I wanted to personally thank you for the candid interview on DMXS. You have confirmed my belief that having children is not nearly as awesome as many parents proclaim. In fact, I believe parents say that having a child is great just to get a good laugh at seeing their kids deal with the same crap they did raising said child. Anyhow, onto my question… Is the AMA or MX Sports gonna bring the 250 two-stroke into the 250 class like they said, or are the non 2-stroke manufactures crying about it too much for it to ever happen? If the amateurs can do it why not the pros?
I love my 2-strokes way too much to watch them die,
---Kris Bohm
Dear Kris,
First of all, having kids is amazing. It is an unimaginable chore that sometimes snuffs out your will to live, but it is amazing. And despite the sleeplessness, dirty house and the poop that does and will continue to get on your fingers during the “diaper phase,” it is very much worth it. So don’t be scared off by my ranting on DMXS. Just make sure you are old enough and prepared for the experience of being a father.
Regarding the bikes: I applaud your conviction for pre-mixers, Kris. There aren’t many left that will thumb their noses at the four-stroke crowd and ride to the tune of their own two-cycle. You’re like the caveman that stubbornly continues to bang two rocks together to make fire when the guy in the next cave over has a lighter. I don’t know if they will allow two-strokes in the 250 class next year but they definitely could. It would give a privateer a fighting chance in a class that has become so ridiculously expensive that few can even compete. I thought four-strokes were supposed to help the privateer be more competitive? Talk about your all-time backfires. Let’s hope the powers that be see the benefit of making it happen.
PING
Dear Mr. Ping,
I have recently began to read your column online weekly and enjoy your comments, especially the photos you post! What I have noticed is that most every question you respond to is someone asking about a pro racer. How he is doing, what is he doing, where is he..... Are those the only questions you get, or are they just the ones you respond to? Also, do you respond to all of your questions by email even though they are not published or posted?
PS, I hope that someday when you set foot on your stomping grounds I will have a chance to ride with you, even though it may be the worst experience of your life! Someone mentioned that I would not enjoy riding with you guys cause all you do is haul ass on the trail. I would rather take a few laps around the track with you, as I have never rode trail. Go Figure
Lindsay from GF MT
Dear Lindsay,
It’s good to hear from a fellow Montanan. And I’m glad you appreciate the photos because sometimes I search long and hard for just the right shot to accent what I’m trying to say. Other times I just pick the first thing that pops up when I Google “silly photos”. Regardless, I would love to get back home and do some trail riding. But your friend was right: If you suck on a bike then we aren’t going to have fun together. Don’t take it personally. It’s the same reason I don’t take my wife riding with me. Unless I’m getting paid for giving lessons I don’t want to spend half my day waiting for someone. I hope this response answers the question about what type of letters I reply to. And I try to respond to every email I get but sometimes it just doesn’t happen what with the jobs and kids and all. Hurry up and ride, Lindsay… you only have a few months of warm weather to do it!
PING
Dear Ping,
First off, congrats on running a kick ass team on the west coast this year. The team has really stepped up from last year. Maybe in the future, the Troy Lee team will be the next Pro Circuit team? Now here's my question. Why is it that supercross/motocross is so tight lipped? It's rare to hear why riders switch sponsors, trainers, and etc. Is it due to contracts or do the riders just want to move on? Also, I've always heard that it's 70% rider and 30% bike. If that is the case, then why is it that we never hear what changes are being made to the bike in between practices. Whenever a rider answers this question, he's always pretty bland about it. Hell, we at least hear what changes are being done to the cars in NASCAR and that's a redneck sport!
Thanks,
Steven
Dear Steven,
Do you realize what you’ve done? Don’t ever, ever suggest that the Troy Lee team, or any other team for that matter, is as powerful or even remotely equivalent to the Pro Circuit team. Mitch Payton is like The Godfather in this industry and you never take sides against the family, Steven. I have to go down there every week, kneel at his porting table and kiss his ring just so he’ll keep giving us the motors that he does. You think he’s going to keep building us custom exhaust systems if crazy rumors start flying around that we’re capable of competing with him? Are you nuts? He’ll have his guys from shipping and receiving drop by our race shop and whack me in the knee with a lead header pipe. Remember, horsepower wears out those who do not have it. In fact, the reason you never hear much about bike changes in the pits is because if Mitch doesn’t okay the change, it doesn’t happen. You never take sides against the family, Steven.
P.S. – I think it’s more like 90% rider and 10% bike. But if you ask the Godfather it’s the other way around. Don’t tell him I said that or he’ll have me locked in a supply closet.
PING
Got a question for Ping? Email him at ping@racerxonline.com.
