Morning David,
First up thanks for taking the time to write the Friday article "ask ping." It always cracks me up your wise crack jokes don't stop.
Now on to their serious question. As a Australian I'm not going to lie, I grew up watch Chad Reed break on to the Australian scene, what an impact he made as a 16 year old and cleaning up the seasoned pros, even skipping the traditional 125 class. But my question: is it worth doing a new class in the supercross season, like in road racing GPs with a controlled class as a stepping stone between amateur and pro or even a regular working person? Now if you had a manufacturer like Husky or KTM supplying the bikes say like the 250 two-stroke, we could help the brands advertise and drag both new and older fan back in to the sport.
I know my grammar my not be perfect but where would the fun be if it was? Thanks for taking the time keep up the good work.
Kind Regards
Jesse
An Australian abroad in Canada
Jesse,
Thanks for the thoughts. You make a very interesting point with the stepping-stone, or spec class. It’s easy to yell suggestions from the couch but like all things, politics boogers it all up. Supercross and motocross are owned by two different entities which, while they make every effort to promote the sport in general, have their own agendas for making that happen. Yet, in order for any major change to happen they have to be on the same page. And then there’s the little problem of cutting five manufacturers completely out of a class. Just KTMs and Huskys? That will most likely piss people off. And there isn’t time for a third class at the races so they’ll have to cut the 250 class, which means fewer jobs. I’ve gotta tell you, the more I write it down the worse this idea seems. It’s not looking good, Jesse, so maybe hit the couch and work on something better. Thanks for trying.
PING
Hello Dear Sir
Your column is good (lets leave it at that) and your on/off track experience makes you akin to a confucian sage on matters of moto. So I’m keen for your take on such:
Yes the riders have too many races to contend with, however the MXGP visit to 'Merica has been somewhat a success. I know you have Mr Luongo on speed dial, (and FeldAMA or whoever holds the reins for motocross/supercross) so would you consider a late night sms to this effect.
Cut SX schedule by one to 16 rounds (seriously, isn’t that enough?) PS: East v. West sucks. Have the GP circus visit the US for final two rounds but coincide with final US rounds. The top 20 in points in each (US/GP) are given automatic selection (if you’re not in top 20 by then your season is done) and they race together with points collectively added to each sides tally. ie Roczen gets 4th he adds 18 points to his title defense and so on.
If not in top 20 don’t waste your or your teams money seeing out the final rounds, just stay healthy and get ready for next season. Want to truly see the best in the world go at it! And for respective points! With bumper crowds to boot! Holy two strokes batman maybe then your top riders show up for MXON a few weeks later!
Just sayin...
Cheers,
Ben Wah (yep)
Indonesia
Ben,
You’ve got a weird name and I don’t have any idea what a bumper crowd is but, dammit, I love your energy. I’m sure Feld would be fine with dropping a supercross round, right? It’s probably only going to cost them several hundred thousand dollars and profitable businesses are in the practice of giving money away from what I understand. Once you have that all sorted out then you can start getting MX Sports and Youthstream to work together on running two races together. If you can achieve that you can probably get Justin Bieber and Selena back together or convince Hillary and Donald to step aside and let some sane individuals join the presidential race. You’ve got your work cut out for you, Ben Wah. Good luck.
PING
Hey Ping,
I need to ask you something: The alarm goes off at the Firehouse; it's two houses ablaze....the Monster Girls house and the Lucas Girls house. You gotta make a choice quick; they are getting hotter by the second & need the Big P to hose down the scene.
Both locations are exactly one mile away, and you get to ride a 125 smoker there.
Who's getting saved here today?
Homeskillet
Jerome Arkansas
Jerome,
That’s quite a Sophie’s Choice situation we have going on here. On the one hand, the leather-clad girls in the Monster house probably need help. Like, a lot of help. Let’s face it: strutting around in a bra and panties for the Dirt Shark for a couple hundred bucks is indicative of some very real daddy issues. I just want to brush their hair and tell them it’s all going to be okay. And then you have the Lucas Oil girls, all decked out in their daisy dukes and checkered shirts tied into a knot with their belly buttons playing peak-a-boo. How in the hell are guys on the line supposed to stay focused with that smoke show sauntering out in front of them? Who gets saved and who goes up in flames? The first question I’d have to ask to make a prudent decision is: what kind of 125 is it? Because if it’s bad ass I’m pretty sure all those chicks are out of luck. I’m a happily married man and if I have a legit 125 at my disposal I’m going riding. Sorry, ladies. Stop, drop and roll or something.
PING
Have a question for Ping? Email him at ping@racerxonline.com.
