Ping,
In one of the latest Racer X preshows, you were alluding to Trey Canard and Honda’s traction control testing. I wonder, would it ever be a benefit to dismiss the traction control system and let the rider just take control? Or is traction control THAT much better? In the car scenario, it's been pretty much proven that anti-lock braking can hands down defeat a human 100% of the time, but tests I've seen show that a pro driver can sometimes launch a car just as well or better than launch control. If you have ever been to Minnesota and driven in the snow, you know that we MUST disable traction control or we can't get out of the driveway (extreme scenario I know)… Just curious.
Rick A
Minnesota
Rick,
If we ever hold a National in your driveway in January I’ll be sure to run over to the Honda engineers and warn them of the inefficacy of traction control in icy conditions. Until then, I’m going to leave it up to the nerds with the propeller hats and the guys riding the bikes to determine what does and doesn’t work. All this electronics technology is new to motocross and teams are still figuring out the best way to apply it. Unlike road racing where the racing surface and layout are identical every single lap, every single year, motocross tracks are constantly in flux. One of the most technical parts of our sport is adapting to changing conditions every lap. That inconsistency makes it difficult to apply the same technology used so successfully in road racing applications. However, there are eggheads who sit in a cubicle all day and dork out on this stuff and they are making progress. If electronics aren’t as good as the rider I’m guessing they wouldn’t be wasting their time. I’ll tell you what I wouldn’t want: to be on the face of a triple jump knowing there is a tiny little computer deciding how fast my rear wheel should spin, regardless of the position of my throttle. No thanks. Good luck with all the snow this winter, Rick.
PING
Hey Ping,
Big fan here. Love your dialed in videos and bike reviews. I just saw that Alta Motors is rolling its Redshift MX off the production line, and it would be really cool if you could get ahold of one to spin some laps and tell us what you think. The idea of 1000hr maintenance intervals sounds amazing. Less wrenching, more ripping.
Have a good one,
Brandon
Brandon,
Many people hate the idea of an electric dirt bike so it’s good to see you have an open mind about them. I understand that without the sound, feel and smells of a combustion engine underneath you it’s like eating tofurkey for Thanksgiving… it just seems unnatural. And, let’s be honest, most electric cars are exactly what estrogen would look like if that hormone took automotive form. But that doesn’t stop the future from happening and one day we will all be driving little battery-powered cars and riding dirt bikes that sound like a cheap beard trimmer you ordered from Hammacher Schlemmer on Sky Mall. The Redshift bike looks pretty cool but when I tried to email them to see about a test ride their website was malfunctioning; not a good sign. Kris Keefer has done some testing for them so maybe he can pass my interest along via the US Postal Service or something. Hopefully we’ll have a test on the new Alta Motors machine before long. Happy New Year, Brandon.
PING
Mr. Pingree,
I believe in the blue collar worker/racer. I believe in doing whatever you have to (as long as it’s within some set of decent morals) to earn a ride. Shoot, I would ride a pink colored bike with an 85cc engine in a 250F frame sponsored by the Barbie/Shake Weight/Midol Mafia if I could quit my job and race dirt bikes for a living. I love seeing all these small teams out there that are able to give more guys a chance.
With that being said, I always seemed to have a problem with Jake Wiemer wearing Seven gear. I'm a fan of Jake's; I think he is a great rider. But he was a freaking Factory Kawasaki racer just a couple of years ago. Now he is basically wearing his competitor's symbol on his chest. Do you think Ryan Dungey is going to put a picture of the alien E.T. as a butt patch for A1? No.
I will say for younger riders, James Stewart is their hero. I get that. They should wear the hell out of it. But what I'd like to see from Jake is a circle and a slash through the Seven gear symbol and go out there and kick some butt. What do you say?
Be your own man,
Jay
Jay,
I appreciate what you’re saying. There’s no way Bob Hannah or Damon Bradshaw or Ricky Carmichael would be caught dead promoting another rider’s brand on his riding gear. Well, Jake doesn’t have the luxury of being picky about his gear. If Seven is willing to pay him then it doesn’t matter if they put an “I heart Bubba” butt patch on his pants for A1, he’ll take it. In a perfect world a guy like Jake would be making enough money that he could be a little more selective about those things but that isn’t the case. Jake has had a couple bad seasons with injuries and poor results and he can’t afford to turn his nose up to somebody offering him money just because it’s owned by a competitor. The alternative here is for you to get out and knock on some doors and see if you can’t round up an outside sponsor to offset the loss in salary if he were to switch brands. If you could get, say, Shake Weight to pump some cash at Weimer he would have more options. See what you can make happen.
PING
