Quinn,

You had me at signed Burt Reynolds poster. You have some good questions before you reached that point, though, so let’s really get into it. Goggles have made great progress over the years, and that includes tear-offs. It used to be you couldn’t stack more than three or four together before it looked like you were staring through a plate of concaved Plexiglas thicker than the Shamu tank at Sea World. With the advent of laminated tear-offs, you can stack 20 or 30 on and still have excellent vision. The only problem with this setup is that you have to be very deliberate when pulling them; get too handsy and the entire stack rips off and explodes like a glitter bomb at Coachella during a techno party.

I’m guessing the propeller-heads over at NASA could come up with a solution to that problem, but I’m not really worried about it. I only race a handful of times each year these days, and I could get by simply using my fingers to smear the mud off the front of my lens like a stunned toddler standing in front of the monkey exhibit at the zoo when the primates are feeling extra “flingy” with their poo.

I’m thinking the legalized weed up in the PNW had an effect on the architects of that place. I understand that they like to play football in the elements, but a retractable roof has become pretty standard these days, and it stuns me those flannel-loving, rain-soaked Seattleites couldn’t figure that out. Now bring on the Burt posters.

PING

---

Hey David, 

I'm laying down in the ER from a really bad bruise that kept swelling my whole leg each day. (Decided to go after day five when I couldn't walk anymore.) Regardless of it looking like a zombie leg and fear of a blood clot, the service at the hospital is still slow, always busy, and downright dreadful. Take in mind I came in the middle of the night to not deal with a crowd. I was wondering how the ER room experience is for the pros, from privateer to factory level rider. I know the seriousness of the injury plays a huge role, but would Tomac wait less to be attended for a possible broken finger than a privateer who has two possible broken legs? Why do I imagine Roczen being treated like Angelina Jolie at Cedar Sinai at any hospital the series decides to land on? Maybe I'm making these top-level factory riders bigger than they seem, as if they are A-list celebrities, but I don't see these guys waiting as long as I am regardless of injury. What's it like, Ping? Big-money athletes versus privateers in the same ER with same injuries. 

?,

Local area hospitals couldn’t give two shits about Ken Roczen. I know you think these guys are larger than life, but all the top racers in the sport can walk through the mall completely unimpeded and unnoticed. Don’t lose track of how small our sport is in the grand scheme of things. Emergency rooms triage every patient that comes through the door, whether they walk in, come in their own car, or ride in on an ambulance. (Please pass along this info to those who call 911 because they think they’ll get seen faster if an ambulance brings them in. Thank you.) The most critical patients will get seen first. Period. There IS a difference when it comes to orthopedic care. For instance, when Ken Roczen was injured in Anaheim last year, he was flown on a private jet to Vail, Colorado, to see Dr. Viola, former U.S. Ski Team doctor and world-class orthopedic specializing in hand and arm injuries. Most folks would be on a waiting list to see him, but Roczen was pushed to the front of the line. Professional athletes will get preferential treatment from orthopedics, including being first up to receive cadaver parts. Good luck with the leg, man.

PING

---

Hi Ping,

I just bought my very first Troy Lee gear set: pants, jersey, gloves, and chest protector. I will be stylin' at the track while everyone laughs at the tall skinny old man on the KTM 150SX rolling all the jumps in his new gear. It cost a lot of money for me to buy that stuff, but you appear to have worn every Troy Lee gear set ever made in your photos on RacerXonline. Do you get to keep all of those gear sets? If so, where do you store them? No way does your wife even let you into the walk-in closet. I bet you have to keep your t-shirts and tighty-whiteys in a cardboard box in the garage. Do you have a storage unit somewhere with nothing but gear in it? It looks like you have 50 different sets! Plus your old vintage gear… I saw an SX Preview Show episode where you were wearing a 1972 Maico jersey with hot pants. I have the same jersey (bought in 1972), but not the hot pants. You might be the number-one motocross gear diva!

Eric 579-For-Life