Dear Ping,
I am an avid follower of Racer X, and your column of metaphorical analogies, now you are critiquing my improper use of grammar in some way. I just want to know where I missed the press release about Dean Wilson starring in the movie Kick Ass. Was his month long hiatus in Canada, not being allowed back across the border, really due to passport problems or was he in the middle of shooting the movie?
P.S. Montana rocks!
Sincerely,
Nate D
Dear Nate,
That is a simple case of mistaken identity. The person in that photo is clearly an American. All you have to do is look at the skyline behind him, the extra-tight shirt or the shaggy "I'm trying really hard to make it look like I don't try hard at all with my hair" mop he has on his head to know that. Dean Wilson on the other hand is clearly Scottish, made obvious by his fair skin and the accent, which is a perfect blend of William Wallace and Sesame Street's loveable character Elmo.
No, wait, he's Canadian. Yeah, that's right. I remember distinctly that he is from Canada because he used to come down here and ride in the winters. Wait a minute. What's up with that Union Jack on his riding gear at the Motocross of Nations? I know he lives in America but is he British now? Sorry, I'm confused.
PING
What does the future hold for dirt bikes from an alternative fuels perspective? After all, there is only so much fossil fuel to go around and electric bikes, well, they're electric bikes. Is there any manufacturer R&D in the works? This may not affect my generation buts definitely going to impact some down the line.
Thanks.
The only R&D I've heard of revolves around the electric bike movement. KTM and a few upstart brands have been developing prototypes with some interest. The problem is that the battery life is so short you run out of "gas" before you can even break a sweat. And the time it takes to recharge is waaaaaay too long. Electric bikes won't be viable until they can figure out how to get a mostly-dead battery charged back up in the amount of time it takes the average guy to drink some Gatorade, massage the lactic acid out of his arms and clean his goggles. The powerplants, I'm not that worried about. I actually think that with the advances in brushless electric motors that someone can produce a fast electric bike that would be fun. Eventually. As far as other options go, I'm not sure. I realize that there are only so many dinosaur bones out there to use up. I'll probably be long gone before they are, but eventually we will have to come up with something else. Did anybody get a good look at that Flux capacitor in Back to the Future?
PING
Ping,
Just watched the 2nd moto at the Motocross of/des/de Nations, and I'm sure you already know what I want to know. First, we all know how patriotic you are, and rightfully so, second, we all know you are one Ben Townley's biggest advocates. I want to know what kind of thoughts ran through, or are running through your mind about BT101 putting Shorty in the dirt. I mean, you have to be absolutely torn. My guess is that if it were any other rider racing for a country that has zero shot of winning this race, you would completely roast them....so I am curious, does BT101 get a free pass from you on this?
Thanks buddy, love your stuff,
Scott Perry
Ocala, FL
Dear Scott,
I've been trying to decide how I would respond here if it wasn't BT that made contact with Shorty. What if it was Kyle Regal? Would I boo that bastard all the way back to Puerto Rico? Yeah, right; he's from Puerto Rico like Doctor J was a real doctor. My point is that Ben is my boy and I know the kind of rider he is. And I honestly don't believe that he would intentionally knock someone down. If you watch the video you can see that Ben sets him up on the outside and then dives to the inside to make the pass. Ben told me that Shorty bobbled or hesitated and he had almost a whole wheel on Andrew when they hit. Maybe Andrew didn't have time to see Ben and react, but you can't blame BT for making a pass when the opportunity presented itself. Let me ask you this? Would Shorty have done the exact same thing if he were in Ben's position? You bet your sweet ass he would. Everyone just needs to take a deep breath and let it go.
PING
Got a question for Ping? E-mail him at ping@racerxonline.com.
