Ask Ping

Aaron,

This letter came across very much like a TM distributor wrote it. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but you should make sure they are paying you properly because you have the pitch down pat. I have, in fact, heard of TM. I've raced against them in Europe and marveled at some of their, uh, creative designs in the past. I've heard good things about their two-stroke line, but they just don't have much in the way of distribution here in the States. KTM fought the same battle when they first made their push in the U.S. Folks who might be interested in buying one decide against it when they realize they have to wait weeks for parts and then get charged an arm and a leg for it. I'd love to check out TM's latest machines, but I honestly have no idea who imports them or reps them here. I'll be disappointed if it isn't a scrappy, little Italian gentleman with a Mario mustache whose first words are, "Dis bike, she's a da best ting you ever see, no?"

I'll see if I can track him down at the local kart track or in my neighborhood sewer pipe system.

PING

Ping, 

Are you alright after last weekend’s Motocross of Nations? Between your man love for Ben Townley and your deep-seeded American patriotism I was thinking you were losing your mind during the final moto. Your boy Townley still has it. Hope you're alright.

Markee

Markee, 

Such a dilemma. On the one hand, it's Ben Townley running down the world champ for the win in the final moto. On the other hand, he's stealing points from our guys and contributing to the defeat of the United States. This country may be a mess, but, dammit, it's still the greatest country there is, and if I have to choose between my homeland or cheering for a foreign friend of mine, well…. I don't have to choose between those, do I? Ben took points away from everybody behind Febvre, so it didn't really matter. Still, the MXoN was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me, and I didn't know whether to rip my shirt off and scream for BT or rip my shirt off and weep over yet another loss at the dirt bike Olympics. Either way, I was shirtless…and probably crying. I appreciate you being concerned for me, Markee Mark. I'm proud of our guys and their effort. I was also very impressed by the French team and their determination to win. You have no idea how difficult that last sentence was for me to type.

PING

Pinger, 

I like big jumps as much as the next guy, but this Straight Rhythm thing just loses me. If the biggest place to make up time in motocross is in the turns, then what the hell is happening over there? I live in Idaho, so I haven't seen it in person, but it just doesn't seem like something I would buy a ticket to. What's that event about?

Tyler