Hey Ping,
I was watching some old race footage online and was wondering if you could answer this question. Why was it that when all Pro Circuit/Kawasaki guys have to wear the same gear, James Stewart never did? I know FOX was his sponsor, but just curious why he was an exception.
Thank You
Cody
Dear Cody,
The very simple reason is that James never rode for Pro Circuit. He rode bikes with Pro Circuit parts on them, but he was always a factory Kawasaki rider and therefore was not bound contractually to any of Pro Circuit’s sponsors. There have only been two riders, to my knowledge, that were allowed to bend the rules that Payton puts down. Michael Pichon had a JT Racing contract and used their gear during his time at PC, and Ricky Carmichael was contracted with Fox for his last season with Mitch. Both riders had contracts with Oakley and did not have to wear Scott goggles like the rest of the team. The point of all this is: If you win championships you can pretty much do whatever you want.
Cheers
PING
Hey Ping,
After so many years of watching and listening to the same old podium speeches where the rider spends 90% of his TV time thanking endless sponsors, me thinks there has to be a better way! They are all the same, boring, blah blah blah "Charlie Brown's teacher voice" speeches. Here's an idea: how about having the rider's sponsors scroll at the bottom of the screen while Erin asks the rider a couple of interesting questions? This would, 1.) eliminate the same ol' boring drivel, and 2.) make sure that all the sponsors get named in case the rider get stage fright and blanks. What do you think?
Keith
Dear Keith,
I think that’s an amazing idea. Now all you have to do is get in touch with the folks that produce the shows, get them to see your points and then make the necessary changes. That should be really easy for you to do. We actually told our riders not to thank any sponsors on the podium. We told them to just talk candidly about their race and show some of their personality. Our logos are big enough on the gear and hats that the fans can see who the sponsors are. We just wanted to encourage them to be themselves and not mimic every other rider they’ve ever heard talking into a mic since they were little kids. Of course this plan backfires big-time if your rider has no personality or a bad personality in which case you encourage them to try to act like someone else.
PING
Ping,
What is the deal with Murrieta, California? Is this community more pro-racer friendly than any other city? It seems that once a kid makes the big time, he buys a house in Murrieta. Isn't this the same community that wanted McGrath to stop riding on his own property?
Thanks
Humfrey
Dear Humfrey,
Murrieta is close to the test tracks and many other local motocross tracks. It has good restaurants, doctors, and an ER with a trauma center just up the road. So, logistically speaking, it is a great place for a racer to live. But that isn’t why most riders live here. Most young racers move here because the girls that inhabit this area are infatuated with the "bro" lifestyle. If you have tattoos or a lifted truck or a hat with a flat bill or black hair or lots of piercings or black plastic on your bike or a SoCal sticker on your back window or any combination of the previously mentioned things you will get more ass in Murrieta than the driver's seat of a miled-out rental car. Sad but true.
Ping
Got a question for Ping? Email him at ping@racerxonline.com.
