In last week’s ASK PING, you mentioned that Darryll King raced for KTM in the United States earlier this millennium. But it wasn’t DK. It was his brother, Shayne (the guy who won a world championship for KTM in ’96).
We forgive you for making such a mistake, since it an easy one to make, given our Kiwi accents all sound the same.
Chur.
C.
C,
I’d call that mistake a simple brain fart but it was more like brain flatulence … maybe even a cerebral shart. I know both the King brothers very well … I’ve even been to Darryll’s house in New Zealand! It was an honest mistake and I hope it’s some consolation that I didn’t confuse him with an Australian rider. I know that doesn’t go over well with you Kiwis.
PING
Hey Ping,
What happened to the days of bolt on sparky's, denim jeans, flannels, work boots, shitty gloves and the feeling of riding a dirt bike because it’s the most wonderful feeling ever?? It seems as if our sport has gone bougie. People look and give funny faces if you pull up to the track in a old truck or don't have the latest up to date gear.. God forbid they don't have a newer bike. Why is that? It wasn't always like this. When did we become snobby?
SuffySuf
Suffysuf,
Sadly you have brought to light a very real problem. What a bunch of bitches we’ve become. We’re the mean kids in the arcade waiting to play Excitebike who make fun of the short blonde-haired boy for not having the new checkered Vans, corduroy shorts and a Gotcha t-shirt. Not that I had that exact thing happen to me in a Montana mall when I was seven or anything. I guess that’s what happens when the cost of a motorcycle is more than what you would pay for a home in some countries. Back when a good squint would do for goggles, you could pick up a bike for a few hundred bucks, fix it up and ride it all summer. We can’t go back in time but we can make the culture at the track the way we want it to be. So the next time you see some punk vibing another rider because he didn’t pull up in a diesel pusher with a 40’ trailer go over and knock a couple of his teeth loose and tell him to be nice. You know, the golden rule and all that. After a few beatings the attitude should pretty much go away. Good luck and thanks for helping.
PING
What’s up?
I was reading an article a couple of months ago and it was talking about Dean Wilson. It was about his injury and his move up to the 450's ext but in this article it started ripping pretty hard about his time racing in Canada and Canadians in general. I know it was all in good fun but I think people are starting to get a pretty warped view on Canadian mx racers. I think people need to know and take into consideration that most of the riders here only get to ride 6 months out of the year if you’re lucky! I am Canadian and am a diehard motocross fan and rider and kind of took it to heart when I read this. Just wanted to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
Truly Canadian.
Canadian,
You can’t get your toque in a knot over stuff like this, eh. Collectively, as a country, we tend to beat up on Canada a little bit the same way a big brother grabs his little brother in a headlock and rubs his knuckles into his scalp. We love him but we still pull his underwear up around his head once in a while just to make our buddies laugh. Look, we’d direct some of that ribbing towards our neighbors down south but that’s just too easy.
That said, I will defend the Canadian series and say that the events are run well and the tracks I’ve been to [Calgary, Deschambault and Morden] have all been excellent. And if you think the riders are slow up north you have no idea what you’re talking about. The top riders in Canada are quick, especially on their home turf. My last suggestion would be to read only motocross material written by Canadians. Steve Matthes is one of your fellow countrymen and you’ll be giddy with all the talk of Ross “Rollerball” Pederson he offers up.
P.S.- Poutine is gross. Not sure what you guys are thinking with that stuff.
PING
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