Dear Ping,
All kudos to you for your witty, entertaining observations and insights. Now moving right along I would like to first state that I respect James Stewart for his ability and accomplishments. HOWEVER, I would also like to ask everyone to please stop referring to James as the fastest man on the planet. How about, "the fastest accident waiting to happen" or "the fastest man to exit his championship defense without issuing an apology to anyone he crashed into along the way"?
Seriously, has James ever truly apologized to the people whose seasons he ended or at least temporarily ended? Ivan Tedesco, Travis Preston come to mind and I think is was Kyle Partridge in Phoenix earlier this year. Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall an "I'm sorry" or a "Hey man, my bad" coming from Stewart. We only heard about what happened to James and how it would impact his championship aspirations and from incidents that were HIS fault.
It frustrates me as a fan not to have Bubba out on the track; he is truly an incredible talent. But talent alone does not win championships or invoke a favorable legendary status. Sport of all variety is littered with the legends of "what could have been." He's not one of the best ever, yet. He could be, but he hasn't earned it, yet. Carmichael, McGrath, Hannah, Johnson, Stanton, Ward, Bailey, Glover, Everts, DeCoster, Geboers et c. were also smart racers and made major achievements during their racing careers. Sadly Bubba hasn't yet shown any of the qualities of the aforementioned legends.
This is not a one-lap sport, nor a partial season sport. If a name is to go down in the annals of Moto-history with the greats there has to be more substance, not just talent. So instead of the question of "How will Dungey do when the fastest man on the planet returns?" How about "Hey James, when will you get back to being a real racer, show us what your made of and shut this clown up?"
Go ahead James, shut me up.....please - I DOUBLE DOG DARE YA!
Thanks Ping.
David Martin
New Mexico
Dear David,
Wow, calling James out, big-time. I don’t know if he was solely to blame for all those instances, but I do know that the media absolutely kisses his ass. Maybe he’s sending holiday gifts to Emig, Sheheen and Erin Bates because they seem to think he walks on water. He has certainly claimed his spot in the history books as being one of the best 125 riders ever; there’s no question about that. But he had aspirations of beating McGrath’s supercross records and Carmichael’s outdoor records before he retired. Well, he better get crack-a-lackin’ because time is ticking and he isn’t even close to either of those records right now. He can get four more MX wins this summer but I don’t think Dungey is just going to let him have them. We’ll see on Saturday.
PING
I was watching Tyla Rattray challenging Dean Wilson late in the second moto at RedBud and noticed he wasn't wearing a Leatt Brace or any type of neck protection. Tyla must have gotten tired and thus decided to take that dirt nap near the end of the race. He went head first into the rut, which shows how bad he wanted to lay down his weary head. I was surprised that he didn't injure his neck. Why are some riders opposed to the Leatt Brace or neck protection in general? You could even ask Wil Hahn the same question; I don't think he wears any neck protection. Is there no hard evidence to show these devices can prevent neck injuries? Is there evidence to indicate the possibility of secondary injuries such as broken collarbones? I'd take a broken collarbone over a broken neck any day. Professional motocross riders are role models whether they like it or not. They have a responsibility to promote safety to many young riders who look up to them. I read my message several times for grammatical errors. I apologize if there are any; I have my degree in mathematics. I'm better with numbers, not so much with words.
James Dow
#70
Dear James,
The biggest gripe from riders that don’t wear neck protection is that they restrict movement when they ride. I guess that’s a given; that’s what it’s supposed to do. They also insist that they haven’t seen any solid proof that neck injuries have decreased since people started wearing them. I tend to think that if you can wear it and get used to it then why wouldn’t you? Better safe than sorry. You like numbers? Here’s my two cents: If you hurt your cervical spine now, since the advent of these devices, and you weren’t wearing one when you crashed you would never forgive yourself.
PING
Dear Ping,
If you ever look closely to CP377 on the podium have you ever noticed that the Monster Energy drink that he has in is hand he either does a terrible job of fake drinking it or it's empty or has water in it? At RedBud when he poured the supposed "Monster" on himself, wouldn’t you think it would be more fitting to use a drink less sticky and doesn’t taste and smell like Robitussin? I understand the whole sponsorship thing requires them to have it in their hand at the time, but our top athletes in our sport are in fact not actors. Maybe the podium drink should be left to Arrowhead or Gatorade or possibly milk. No disrespect to CP377's acting or riding ability, but for a guy who showers after every moto I highly doubt he would pour Monster of all things on himself. So, what actually is in those cans and bottles? Enlighten me as to this confusing situation so the children who idolize the Fast Frenchman know what to drink to be fast on a dirtcycle.
Dear?,
It’s water. They call it "Tour Water" and it says that it's water right there on the can. Most of the guys on the podium are very particular about what they put in their bodies, especially right after a national moto, so I doubt they would really drink an energy drink. Maybe after the second moto, but I doubt it. Sorry if I have shaken you to your very core with this stunning revelation.
PING
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