Ask Ping

Caleb,

You've actually picked up on an industry scandal that hasn't really leaked out of the inner sanctum yet. Since you spotted it I'll tell you what it is, though I'm sure to get an earful over it. These prototype watches, made by a Swiss company called Montabe Blanc, actually read and monitor hormone and endorphin levels in your blood during an athletic event. The watch is fitted with two miniature vials that auto-inject various catecholamines, which give you a boost of adrenaline as your natural levels drop. Since epinephrine is a naturally occurring hormone in the body, none of this shows up on a drug screen. However, performance levels can be maintained where they would otherwise drop off. This product is definitely pushing boundaries in terms of legality with WADA and it's only a matter of time until somebody blows the whistle. Riders contend that the watches are simple heart rate monitors that record their max and average heart rates during a main event for training purposes. Most of those inside the industry know better.

Now that you know the secret I feel like I can throw this out there: I'm lying to you, Captain Gullible. I don't know what they are wearing, but they are probably heart rate monitors. Maybe those guys have a hot date they can't be late for? Don't be mad at me.

PING

 

Ping,

During the Dallas SX, Jenny Taft was talking about Weston Peick's time off being hard on his bank account because he bought a new Harley. While riding for Honda, Justin Barcia also bought a Harley. I recall years ago, an interview with James Stewart, and while he was on the Chevy Trucks Kawasaki team, he had purchased a Ford F-350. Last I checked, Honda and Yamaha both compete with Harley-Davidson, not to mention the age old Ford vs. Chevy rivalry.  It seems to me that Honda, Yamaha, or Chevrolet would rather have these riders promoting their own products. What are your thoughts on this?

Jeremiah

Jeremiah,

There are a couple lessons here. First, don't buy a Harley if you can't afford one. Second, and almost as important, don't buy a Japanese knock-off of a Harley Davidson; it's like your wife getting a Louis Vuitton purse at the swap meet. And third, make sure there are exclusivity agreements in the contract if you don't want your rider on any other competing brand at any time. Jeremy McGrath butted heads with Honda over this same issue because he rode a Jet Ski [a Kawasaki product] on his own time while he rode for Honda. Honda doesn’t make a stand-up personal watercraft so there shouldn't have been a problem, but Honda didn't see it that way. Jeremy took his #1 plates and left shortly after that. Honda now gets their riders set up with Honda Ridgeline trucks so they can represent the brand on the track and on the road. That's great marketing, in my opinion, and I understand why a Kawasaki team sponsored by Chevy would frown upon their star rider driving a Ford at home. But you can't force him to go buy a new truck if you aren't willing to supply a vehicle. My thoughts: Who cares? I’m so tired of the drama that people seem to thrive off of; it's like high school never ended. Let the riders do what they want on their own time and let’s focus on the racing when we are at the track.

PING

 

Hello,

I wrote in once before and got some great insight from ya, and since the magazine mail columns won’t answer my question I’ll turn to Mr. Ping once again. Anyways I’m a long time Stewart fan, and I’m not going to beat the dead horse and complain about how he’s suspended or that issue in general. My question is why is the FIM allowed to tell us who can and can’t race in our series? Now, I know we used to have SX races in France and Canada at the beginning of, or during the SX series to keep the series international. However though, with exclusion of the Canadian race and the France races are no longer a part of our series, the races are no longer international. So why are the Euros allowed to tell us who can race in a series that doesn’t even leave our borders? Why don’t we just run our own series? We are big boys and I’m sure could handle it. I might sound ill-informed but I can’t seem to look past this basic topic. I just think it’s odd that Bubba has to fly to Europe so they can tell him he can’t race on U.S. soil. Thanks for any input. 

Brennan536