Ping,
Am I missing something? I am all for the resurgence of the two strokes and can't get enough of the Dream Race or old race footage. However I feel that the savings point is misrepresented in many of the comments you find made by former pros or prodigies who are taking part in the Dream Races or here in your blog as well. It's often said you pick up a 125 for $1,500 then spend another $1,000 and you’re good to go, all that associated with videos that show 125cc bikes decked out to the top, starting with a set of $900 wheels, customized graphics, new plastics and exhaust systems mounted, ASV or other nice hardware all over. There is no way you have a steed like that for $2500. We have not even touched on suspension work need yet. On top of it all Billy-Mo and Bubba-Jay found out about the latest two-stroke hype too and are now listing their beat up roaches on Craigslist for twice or triple the amount from two years ago (At least that’s what I see here in GA, I’ll bet California is no cheaper). So while I see the price point as a valid argument, let's keep it real and not pretend you race on pocket money with a two-stroke bike.
Thoughts?
Oliver
Oliver,
Thanks for the note, man. I can see where you might scratch your head when we talk about a more affordable racing option and then show one of our Garage Build projects that has every last part and piece you could imagine attached to it. We definitely appear to contradict ourselves in those moments. But you have to understand that if I bought a used 125 on Craigslist for $1,500 and put $1,000 into making it reliable and mechanically sound it’s still going to look like somewhat of a turd. Now, for most folks that’s not the end of the world because they aren’t putting their machine in a magazine or in a video on the largest motocross website in the sport. But we are. And for that reason we spend the extra time (and money) to make the bikes we build look like something you would have seen sitting under a factory awning back in the 1990s, instead of something you’d find in a shed covered with tarps and ½ inch of dust. Also, when you’re building a bike for a guy like Ivan Tedesco you don’t worry about a budget. He isn’t going to go race a $2,500 bike; a rider going that fast needs to know confidently that his bike is mechanically sound in every way. So, I certainly stand by my opinion that you can find/fix a good 125 for a few grand and have a blast on it, but we will continue to go the extra mile on our magazine projects.
PING
Ping,
One word that I've noticed is pretty absent in the motocross world is the word "well". Examples of how this word can be used are: "I rode well,” "My bike worked really well under those conditions," or "Tomac really kicked my ass, he was riding really well today!" The motocross world only seems to be aware of the word "good." "He rode good," "The track was prepped really good today," or "My tires were hooking up really good today." Being the grammar expert that you are, would you mind helping introduce the word "well" into the motocross world? I'm pretty sure I've never heard the word "well" used in a post-race interview.
Sincerely,
Well-wishing in New York
Well Wishing,
Sir, you are absolutely incorrect. In fact, just this past weekend we heard the word “well” used appropriately. If you go back and listen you will hear Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac use the word just as it was intended in the Queen’s English. He was asked if he would accept the role of U.S. team captain for the Motocross of Nations and he replied, “Well, the thing is, I don’t think I’m going to do that.”
Boom. Excellent use of the word in a very disappointing response. In all seriousness, I’ll take “I rode pretty good” all day long if they would just get the saw/seen verb conjugation figured out. The past tense of see is ‘SAW,’ not ‘seen!’ Every time I hear a rider say, “Yeah, I seen that line during the race...” I want to pick up my television and drop it on my head. Here’s hoping for the return of a simple media training class for the minimally educated stars of our sport.
PING
Hey David!
Hope all is well and you are healing up… A few years ago, I raced Loretta’s in the +35 and +40 classes. I didn’t have the best results, finishing mid pack to some big names in those classes. I see MX Sports has made some adjustments to make the amateur event stay a little more ‘Amateur.’ However, I’m still a little divided on having past national champs (factory riders) coming in and slaughtering the field in some of the classes (Senior +40, Junior 25+). Mike Brown, Nathan Ramsey, Ricky Carmichael, Tim Ferry, Robbie Reynard, Keith Johnson, Doug Dubach... just to name a few. What are your thoughts on this???
Thanks,
Jason Steffins
Helena, MT
Jason,
This is a hot topic and I’m pretty torn between the two sides. From your perspective, pros or former pros have absolutely no business at an amateur national event. Their ship has long sailed and it’s time to give the folks who never made it to the sports largest stage a chance to race for an amateur national championship. It isn’t really fair that a 42-year-old accountant from Alabama has to compete against Mike Brown, former AMA Motocross champion and current professional off-road racer, for an amateur national title. Why would these former pros want to drop back down to an amateur event anyway?
On the other hand, there is a class for everybody at Loretta Lynn’s and if a former pro wants to sweat for a week straight in the Tennessee trees, why can’t he? The Pro Sport class and the age divisions allow former pros to compete and the fans get a kick out of it, I’m sure. So, what’s the big deal?
The simple answer seems like it would be adding a new class specifically for pro or former pro riders. However, the schedule at Loretta’s is so packed full they literally can’t add a class without removing another. So, what’s the answer?
Look, if you are over the age of 30 and pinning your hopes and dreams on a title at the amateur national motocross races you might need to reassess your priorities. This event is a big deal for young kids with dreams and aspirations to turn their hobby into a career. But if you have a full-time job outside of racing or a wife or liver spots or crow’s feet or a mortgage, this is just a damn hobby and you need to relax! Enjoy the fact that you get to race with some stars of the sport and embrace it. Maybe you could even learn something from them that would help you in your unrealistic quest to be the factory Honda superstar of tomorrow. Just realize that even if you do beat guys like Mike Brown, Buddy Antunez, and Robbie Reynard you still aren’t going to get a call from Roger DeCoster on Monday offering you Trey Canard’s spot over at Red Bull KTM. Back to work on Monday you go. Thanks for playing.
PING
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