Ask Ping - Racer X

(Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity.)

Dear Ping,

Yesterday, as I walked across NYC, I passed a fire station (Engine 10, FDNY). One of the firefighters had a bunch of two-stroke based equipment out and he was warming them up. I was appalled-sure, they started, but they were muddier than a newborn’s pooper after a severe stomach virus.

I instantly thought of you at your station, and had images of immaculately jetted, crisp two-stroke firehouse equipment with Troy Lee Designs wraps on them, tiny custom cone pipes gleaming in the sunshine. I had visions of you arriving on the scene of an automobile crash and holding up a Jaws of Life extraction to make a quick pilot jet and needle change to nail the jetting before saving some poor soul. Please tell me that all of this is true. It has to be.

Crisp BRAAAP!
NYC

NYC,

Different departments have different cultures, and I’ve noticed some of the bigger departments, like FDNY and Chicago Fire, aren’t super concerned with keeping their equipment clean. In California, an engineer would be shamed by his crew and possibly written up by his supervisor if the engine was always dirty. I visited a downtown Chicago station last summer and the truck looked like it just finished a rally event. Listen, I’d love to tell you I had custom graphics and ported cylinders on our Stihl saws, blower, and power unit, but we don’t. We DO, however, keep them clean, serviced, and ready to do work. All I can think about is a cone pipe on our chain saw now… thanks, a lot. Help, Mitch!

PING

Hi Ping,

Good job on The Whiskey Throttle Show… Grant, yourself, and the guy behind the camera (seems like he looks up stats and just has a deep knowledge base) are showing viewers a side of the biz and history we have never seen. Priceless! Keep doing the Lord’s work!

Now, more than a question, think of this as a request… Please help the privateers.

On press day at SX/MX events the top pros get track time and the privateers and others guys with less star power get no track time. I know some track time will help the triple digit guys learn the track and maybe have a better result. If nothing else everyone has the same amount of track time, doesn’t that make sense and seem fair? (I know life isn’t fair but the sanctioning bodies should do everything in their power to level the playing field). Please leverage your might on the powers that be in the racing world and make it so, bro! You got 93 days till A1. Thanks in advance.

Regards,
ODK202

ODK202,

Press day, as the name implies, is to allow the press a chance to get footage and talk to the stars of the sport. The track is very rarely complete, so riders aren’t burning laps and getting the track dialed in… they typically ride one or two straightaways with a triple. Local riders are invited, but privateers really don’t have a reason to be there. I was a privateer for two years before I got a ride with Pro Circuit and I wasn’t given any special treatment. I worked my ass off until I could beat some of those factory guys and, eventually, I took their spot on a team; and that’s the model these guys should follow. In this sport, and in life, you don’t get what you deserve… you get what you earn. So, fellas, go out and earn it!

Thanks for supporting the show!
PING

Ping,

Thoughts on the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations? Has it lost credibility over the years? Are we destined to forget motocross and race in stadiums all year-round? Our guys went over early this year and seemed to do everything right, and they still couldn’t find the top-five. I’m not sure what else we could have done. Hopefully an American will win the Straight Rhythm or the Monster Energy Cup and give me something to drink about.

B Dubs

B Dubs,

[Long sigh] I’m not sure what else we could have done. Team USA put in the work, had great support, worked as a team, had some bad luck, and got beat soundly. If you’re counting, that’s three years in a row the MXoN has been a sloppy, muck-hole. If you listened closely during the broadcast you could almost hear team Kawasaki laughing back in the States. My personal opinion is that we should stop sending a team until they bring the date of the race closer to the end of our series. A couple years without the US riders there will nudge them to do the right thing. At that point, we can launch an assault with our top riders and get that trophy back on this side of the Atlantic.

As for Straight Rhythm, I didn’t think it would last until they made the transition to two-strokes. Now, honestly, it’s a fan and industry favorite. The racing is great, the bikes and gear are amazing, and the vibe is fun and relaxed. Oh, and you can drink Tito’s and Red Bull out of a Ratio Rite until you see double.

Cheers!
PING

Have a question for Ping? Hit him up at ping@racerxonline.com.