Hey Ping,
I was working on a PowerPoint project for my computer class and it was all about motorcycle safety. I wanted to post a YouTube video of you when you wrecked on the triple a while ago and couldn't find it. Then I looked for just plain old motorcycle crashes. It came up with videos from the Crusty era. I was watching the Seth Enslow crash on the olds jump in Glamis. That was rad. It showed Jeff Emig saying some comments about the crash and then I realized that when these videos were filmed, they were in their heyday of racing; Riders like McGrath, Emig, Hughes, Lawrence, and the list goes on. Why is it that we don't see current riders take a trip and let loose… do a little dune goonin of sorts? Have the current riders switched to women's panties or are the factories holding the riders back? Please inform us. See you in Salt Lake.
Chuck
SLC, Utah
Dear Chuck,
The only camera rolling and pointing at me when I broke that bike in half in Phoenix was our transport driver whose duties included filming all of our practices and races. I watched it a couple times and it has been sitting ever since in a cabinet in my office. I don’t know why I never posted it up anywhere. I guess I just wasn’t ready to see it splashed all over the web for eternity, a sad reminder of another championship season that went down the drain. The footage will be included in my new video, Motocross 101, which will be available next month. I figured if I’m going out like that I might as well make a few bucks doing it.
There is definitely a new attitude in today’s young riders. They feel guilty going out and actually having fun on their motorcycles now. If they aren’t at the track pounding out lap after lap they should be at the gym or riding a bicycle, right? Some riders got carried away on their off-weekends and wound up hurting their careers: Jeff Emig + Lake Havasu = Privateer Yamaha ride. But there is nothing wrong with going riding with your buddies at the sand dunes or out in the hills after it rains. In fact, those guys attributed some of their success to their ability to keep riding fun by doing those types of things. Maybe we’ll find some balance with the next group of kids to come through.
PING
Ping,
Out of my sheer loyal-ness as a true 101 fan, I found myself unable to vote for Mr. Bentley in last week’s Fox Fifty poll. I felt it would be detrimental to your livelihood. Keep up the superb work!
Dear ?,
You are an outstanding individual and one hell of a model American. God bless you. But Shae is still one of the best to come out of that state and he deserves to be recognized for it.
PING
Hi David,
You and I have gone back and forth about the lack of education that runs rampant in the sport. That is probably not going to change, and with most states cutting education before governor's salaries, the kids suffer. Is there or has there been anyone doing English speaking classes for the riders and helping them with their stage presence? I hate the first words out of every mouth on the podium, "Yah you know."
Thanks again,
Randy van Dyke, English and journalism major
Sun Valley, ID
Dear Randy,
Suzuki used to do media training classes for all their riders. I remember the last class I did with them they had Stephen Baldwin come in and teach. It was right around the time Bio-Dome came out so he was pretty big. Despite the fact that he co-starred in that movie with Pauly Shore, I actually took quite a few lessons away from that class that are still applicable today. One of them is to always decline if Mr. Shore asks you to join him in the men's room for a doobie. I’m not sure if Suzuki still offers the classes but someone should. I thought about constructing a curriculum that included public speaking, financial investment education and long-term career planning and offering it to the riders directly or through their agencies. It would be invaluable to the teenage stars making tall six figures, and even their first million, before they can legally drink the champagne they are spraying on a weekly basis. The problem is the ones that need the help don’t care enough to help themselves. Do you really think I could have talked Josh Hansen into taking a multifaceted class that addressed his interaction with the media, speech structure and long-term financial well-being while he was pulling down serious cheddar? Not likely. So, ya’ know, we’re going to, uh, probably have to listen to the, uh, you know, same old, uh, crap on the podium for a long time. Ya’ know?
PING
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