Ask Ping!
Friday, March 18, 2011 | 2:00 PM
ODI dates back to the 1980’s as the leader in grip manufacturing. Focusing primarily on the bmx and mountain bike industries through the 90’s and early 2000’s, ODI re-entered the motocross scene when they developed the patented lock-on grip system that eliminates wire and glue. Continuing to advance the way riders hold on to their bikes, ODI has worked closely with the teams they support such as Troy Lee Designs to create the product that is now being used by some of the top teams in the industry.
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Dear Ping,
I'm an avid reader of the column and I love your comments every week. I have a question and want your opinion on a rather odd topic. Back in 2008 they combined the Pro ATV Invitational and the last round of AMA Motocross nationals at Steel City and it was a huge success for both parties in my opinion. I am a huge motocross/supercross fan and ATV fan and I also ride and own both. My question to you is why can’t quads and bikes get along better? Could a National series host both parties on the same weekend similar to what they did in 2008? The fact that many quad and bike enthusiasts buy many of the same parts, apparel, gear, and ride at the same parks, tracks, and racing events would make one think that they would stick together in the tough times we are in right now. In a struggling economy it doesn't surprise me that motocross and ATV racing is on the hurt, I was sad to see the ATV GNCC National attendance at the first round was down 30 percent along with the Nationals attendance down considerably. Most of the factory support is long gone now, along with television broadcasts and a lot of fans. I would hate the see motocross and supercross go down the same road. Maybe it would help out everyone involved. You may bite my head off for thinking of such a crazy thing but is it out of the question?
Jethro
Another Jethro. Probably rode quads too.
Really? You are sending me a letter about quads and your name is Jethro? Really? Okay, that one is too easy so I’m not even going to touch it even though there is an awesome joke in there somewhere that includes a trailer park, a rope belt, moonshine and you dating your sister. But I’m not going there. There has been a longstanding theory that I hate four-wheelers and anyone who rides them. I’d like to say, for the record, that that is not entirely true. I only hate quads and their passengers when they are on the same track as me at the same time. Quads and bikes are not safe together and they each like the track formed in completely different ways. Quads want the turns flat and smooth and bikes want berms and ruts. If you put them on the same track it’s no good for either party and it actually ruins the track for both. I think this is the main reason why bikes and quads can’t live in harmony at the same events despite having many similarities.
PING
Ping,
The subject of interviews after the race: Is there anyway to talk with someone at Speed and have the sponsors listed on the screen along side the rider being interviewed? That way we can maybe get an answer to a question instead of, “Yeah, the track was tough and I want to thank Blah, Blah, Blah.” I could read the sponsors he uses and listen to the interview all at once… and maybe even chew gum. Just a thought.
Curt Von Lossberg
That’s a great idea, though it might not even be necessary. With the strategic placement of logos on jerseys, hats, drink bottles and neck braces now it becomes an act of redundancy to reiterate which companies sponsor you while on the podium. The problem is that none of these teams are taking the time to put their riders through some type of media training. They are just kids, after all. Instead, we have a monkey see, monkey do situation going on and one rider just copies what the other riders are doing up on the podium and it ends up sounding the same. Maybe Feld could offer the media training class and explain that they are going to scroll their sponsors on the screen so the riders can focus on answering the questions given to them. Historically, most riders don’t seem capable of reciting a list of sponsors and answering the question posed to them properly. And lets not even throw chewing gum into that equation.
Thanks for the idea.
PING
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Man remember when you would hit a nice tacky berm and then come around the next lap to find an atv had destroyed it..... good times
I agree with Curt Von Lossberg 100%. I too am tired of hearing the same old rundown of sposors with the exception to team and family. I want real answers to questions.
I dont like quads on the motocross tracks either. I have riden them but will never ever attempt a double on one again much less jump more than a few feet those quads seem to seek and destroy the rider upn crashing. They are a blast on a flatrack though.
I would like to thank Ben & Jerry's, Baskin-Robbins, Dairy Queen, Häagen-Dazs, Sweet Republic, and last but not least, Justin Bieber.
I would like it if the questions were re-asked when the rider goes on his sponsor list instead of answering the question.
Q: How was that big triple coming out of the whoops?
A: It was tricky, but I would like to thank....
Q: How was that big triple coming out of the whoops? You crashed there - remember?
A: Uh, it had a cross rut from riders crossing over to scrub it which caused me to come off a little to the left and end up in the blocks. Maybe I need to get on the scrub wagon... Anyway, I would like to thank my girlfriend and dog...
Man, I hate, HATE, the sponser rundown the riders have to do. Do they get bonuses for it? This ain't the oscars and I never see Kobe, Earnhardt, or Tiger thanking Nike or whoever. It's just so robotic. Thank your family and team and move on.
ATV's destroy good lines and one of them creates as much dust as an entire gate of motorcycles. Commonly refered to as tard-charriots or goon-buggies. All in good fun of course.
Quads are a big bummer on the track w/bikes at the same time,,not real easy to pass safely at times, ever been run off by one cause the rider is pissed because your going around them..no I say roost the quad repeatedly and dont dare fall in front of one,,they the quad pilot usually is not a quick reactions type.
Quads are for farmers kids right? Haha
Some of these riders are so dumb, (Villopoto), that they can't remember their sponsors. Their mechanic stands off to the side and has them written on the pitboard. The interviews are so lame and the f'ing commercials are so plentiful that I had to go out and get a DVR reciever for my DirectTV. Now I don't even watch it live. I wait until it's over and watch RACING only....no f'ed up commercials, (Progressive and Toyota), and no interviews. Since the motos are so short, (10 minute heats for professional racers? Really?), that it only takes an hour to watch the 3 1/2 hour live broadcast.
Back in the day at my local track the first moto was always the quads. By the 2nd moto, the track might as well have been a polished granite countertop. Quads suck. The end.
Oh man, Tard-Charriots...lol...damn that's funny
Damn...lol...still funny, good one...
When you go down to your local dealership, you have a choice. What I have never understood is this; why would you choose a quad over a dirt bike? Seriously, why? Why spend good money on those "tard-chariots" (classic by the way, and I will forever refer to them as such from now on) when you have brand new dirt bikes sitting there? I think some sort of senate committee needs to investigate this phenomenon. There is evil in this world, and that evil is known as a "tard-chariot". You have been warned.
I have asked some of the local backwoods billys why they ride quads as opposed to bikes, and the all say 1- Bikes are harder to stay up on and not crash, and require more skills, 2- Quads can be ridden (driven) while impared (drunk), 3- They can carry a six pack on a quad.
Couldn't watch ANY tube without my trusty DVR. Television is a major beating to endure with so much absolute garbage. I second "Prime's" comment(s) and can get through a three hour SX event inside of an hour or so. This month's article in MXA about what is wrong with the circus known as Supercross is relative as well. Just remember this everybody - NOTHING MATTERS AND I MEAN NOTHING EXCEPT FILLING SPONSOR'S AND PROMOTER'S POCKETS WITH MORE CASH!! They are all greedy to the eyeballs and wouldn't give a pile of hot, steaming feces about our sport if they couldn't rip us off.
Quad-tards is the term I've become familiar with. Quads are the official toy of rednecks. Who can argue that? :)
All in good fun, for the most part, but in my extensive off-road riding experience, the percentage of idiots has always been higher on atv's than dirtbikes. D.O.T. ballcap on backwards, a 6-pack in the rack cooler... I know there are responsible atv'ers out there as well, but they really get a bad rap from all the dingbats who ride them. And if you do ride a quad and find yourself on a beautiful piece of singletrack (1 line, resembles hiking trail), get off of it! Find a 2-track trail! Thank you for reading. :)
As you were, Ping...
One of my answers got clipped in editing. Just throwing it out there now before I get emails saying that I'm lazy for only posting two. And the Simpson photo went with question number three for those of you wondering what it has to do with question number two.
When the local farm equipment store has a sale on tank tops and/or rope (don't ask) the next weekend always has a few quads show up. Thinking about picking up this little sweetheart of a ride. Hope the seller throws in a few spare powerbands: http://boise.craigslist.org/mcy/2267211692.html
ping its cool we all know yer lazy
Quads should stick to figure-8 tracks
Most podium questions call for an answer that would be to smarty ,or to bad mouth.(track,other riders, ect.) or come from way out in left field
your safe bet is dodge it and keep it short..
Remember any thing you say can and will be used against you.
How about side-hacks? Who wants to be the monkey? Imagine a finish line jump with js7 whipping you upside down! No thanks! I don't think the whoops would be that fun either.
Prime.. like your comment.. ha,ha.. As Ping pointed out.. These are just kids.. And in a very subtle way, they do just like a "monkey see, monkey do"... Ha,ha.. But is spot on.. I think even a media training will not suffice..
BigUglyManiac, offered a good suggestion.. ha,ha
Windham is the best at telling a story using his sponsors as the protagonists. The setting: that track. The mood: hysteria. Always a cliffhanger when 14 gets his 30 seconds in front of the mic.
The young racers can sound like an interrogation by the federales: I was racing and then it got wild I don't know what happened but thank the man above it turned out okay for me. Honest. Really I had no idea that was going to happen.
Unfortunately, media training for these guys will just make the problem worse. You think Decoster would want Short or Alessi spouting off about this rider or that rider instead of thanking Red Bull, etc.? Heck no. Teams, managers and Feld just want them to thank the money machine and go on about their business. Until you get a strong presence interviewing on track this will continue to happen and we'll get what we get.
perfect answer on the bike & quad question. a few tracks by me used to run both on the same track, and it was horrible! ruts always getting caved in and all wobbly.....now every track i go to either has 2 tracks to keep everything seperate, or it's a moto only track....however, one track i go to has open practices, where quads and "big bikes" ride AT THE SAME TIME! WTF, ARE YOU SERIOUS? totally gay, and i'll never ride there again! lol. nothing like railing a berm on the outside, setting up for a jump, and here comes a rear tire of a 450 quad, flat tracking through the turn, sliding your way, chewing at your foot/leg.... like you said, they simply don't mix at all! the only quads i ride are 4x4's and the all mighty rhino...but in the damn woods! haaahaaaa. nice column, homie! keep it coming!
Sidecar supercross, ricky on the bike and stewart in the sidecar, scrubbing a triple.
dirty bikes are for guys who want to be cool!
there have been some riding spots cose to home here that have been fenced off due to quads. there was never real permission for anyone to ride there, but people have been riding Jeeps there and dirtbikes for years. Responsibly too I must say. But then teenagers with quads started riding there in the summer months while the responsible people were at work, and before ypou know it, there were new trails everywhere, little trees and saplings were goine, and there wasnt anything green left. they absolutely destryed everything. the existing trails wernt good enough for these idiots. And one lad owner told me he didnt have a blade of grass left on top of one hill. So the land owners contacted the DNR officials and then fenced everything off. And I cant blame them for it either. I have caught teens riding quads on my place, normally I wouldnt care, but one, they never asked my permission, they snuck in through the back of my land by following a creek, and second, they didnt even use the trails I have, they just rode wherever and was tearing up the woods. So I sent them on there way. That is what gets riding land fenced off.
trick.. Side motorcross.. Do people in the US still practice this? I know over here in Europe some nutcases still hold amateur like competition... Weird racing man... Only interesting thing I find is, they use 500cc 2 stroke engines... Heavily modified... Some still use Maico engines.. Wonderfull!!! But weird racing.
Quads.. never digged it.. And most probably never will.
quad tard here. what i dont understand is that while quad guys respect dirtbikers, dirtbikers have no respect for quad guys. i went out in a mixed praccy one day, on a track that i can rip on, and passed a bunch of bike guys. 5 of the came and yelled at me when i didnt get within 5 feet of them, i just asked why they didnt move over for the faster rider.
i did get a chance to ride a dirtbike earlier this year on a track, and, although the technique is harder to master, the physical toll is much larger on a quad.
'Fro started the modern podium speech yada yada back in 1997. I agree, drop the sponsor name dropping bulljive. Yet another reason MX is still barely a ripple in an average sized pond.
tard-charriots... had me in tears
Two predictions: (1) Sidecars are the 'future' of motocross (2) Villopoto will win this sx title.
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FMOtPck8H8&NR=1
TARD-CHARIOTS............. i just spit diet coke all over my monitor funniest thing i've heard in a long time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The name " quad" interestingly enough,was chosen to describe the condition of a guy on a four wheeler trying to do the double / rhythm lane at Perris MX. The other option, "heat seeking missle " and "wheelchair rider" just werent working. True Story
Dirt
I race a quad, let me have it, nothing I've never heard before. And I do have to say that flattening a nice looking rut is among my favorite things in the world. The only thing better is passing bikes in open practice. For some reason bike riders really hate that. I guess for some reason bike guys can't believe that a quad can be ridden faster than a bike. As for which requires more skill I don't know. Any one that can ride moto at a competative level is skilled in my opinion.
At the event mentioned above at Steel City in 2008 the winner of the quad race posted a lap time that would have qualified him 7th in the 450 bike class. Last year the pro quads ran faster times at Red Bud than the 450 bikes. Both these events took place on the same track for quads and bikes. I know the different lines, different cornering, so on. Just some info for those that don't believe a quad can go fast.
Here's my question. When did it become perfectcross. So your perfect rut isn't there, why not make the needed adjustment to get the job done? If it's a race everyone on the gate is riding the same track. Perhaps improving your skill would be more beneficial than worrying about the quad riders that flattened your rut in the moto before yours. I agree that bikes and quads being on the track at the same time is a bad idea. It's not safe. I do believe that with the way things are right now, most promoters/track owners are going to have to be creative to survive. I know of several tracks in my area that at one time were bike only have now began to allow quads again. All about the money and surviving.
Ping your sense of humor must be contagious. The people on here this week are hilarious. I found the lack of whining replaced by humor was just the ticket after a long day in the wind...
Ping (and others)
On the subject of podium interviews:
I'm not really a big Arenacross fan, but I will watch the occasional AX race on Speed when nothing else good is on. Why do I bring this up? Because, in my opinion, AX has the best way to deal with the "I'd like to thank the following 15 sponsors" podium speeches. The interviewer ALWAYS asks two questions:
1. The "real" question. e.g. "Explain what happened when you were battling with rider X for the lead. Is there still bad blood between you guys from race Y?" This is usually a pretty meaningful question and usually gets a pretty meaningful answer.
2. "WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO THANK?" NOW the rider gets to list off his 15 sponsors, and "show them some love". The riders ALL KNOW that they will be asked this second question, so they can give a genuine answer to the first question without worrying about having to work in their sponsors with answers like "Well, it all started when my Dunlop tires hooked up out of the gate, and my Pro Circuit motor gave me the horses to pull off the holeshot. Did I mention I was wearing Thor gear at the time?, etc."
Rightly or wrongly all the riders are expected to give a shout out to sponsors. If you were a sponsored rider you would feel the same pressure. Although the riders in AX spew out a list of sponsors with the aplomb of an auctioneer, just as they do in SX/MX, I can live with it because a) I accept that they have to do it, b) I have heard the answer to the first question, which at least is something worthwhile without a laundry load of sponsors thrown in. Not perfect but MUCH less annoying - trust me!
I'm telling you guys, the powers-that-be in SX and MX need to look at AX to see how to do podium interviews!
I want to know why the Thor riders always thank "Jeff Smith and Parts Unlimited". Does that guy have an ego so big that he has to hear his name on the TV before he will cut these poor bastages a check??
Nothing wrong with Quads you guys, I routinely have jumped on one to go take a dump at some of the bigger tracks where the restroom is far away. The desert racers use them for the same purpose so they have there place.
I was fortunate to have a private track and working in the industry was able to use various machines on said track.
#1 Riding a quad on a mx track is of equal if not more of a work out, missed timing on jumps,whoops, etc, is as stated above they seek you out to crush you. (quads).
I have met losts of guy's that think because it has four wheels it's SAFE, not so they outlawed three wheeler's it's time they did the same with QUADS. IMO
And NO they should not be on the same track PERIOD.... IMO
Quads are for the "vertically challenged"...funny how most quad riders use the phrase "easier to ride" when referring to the differences between the two. Hey buddy, a bicycle is pretty easy too. But wait!!! It gets easier!!! They still make tricycles last I checked. You'd never wad up on one of those puppies!!! If you find it harder on a dirtbike, you my friend, need to give it more gas. Get the punk outta your pants. Dirtbike riders and Quadsimodos will always have beef on the track. The reason why isn't just because they kill all the sweet lines. Most guys I see on quads (Quadsimodos) are either too fat or too husky to ride a bike. So when that guy on the quad is "killing it" on the track and coming your way, clutch it and let him by. Or, not only will his 300 pound (after all the upgrades) quad crush you, his 250(+) pound body would definitely seal the deal. At best, you'd get up with a broken scaphoid bone. Long live MX ONLY TRACKS!!
no quads at my practice track dcmxtracks. I tried them because I thought I needed the extra money they would bring in but they cost me more work and time on equipment than it was worth.
I can remember two races back in 1983 (yes, I'm old) where Bob Hannah had Miss Wrangler on his shoulders after getting race wins. Seattle and Daytona. I have pictures of both. Also when he was interviewed after a race, his comments were witty, smart-assed, funny, and to the point. Something today's riders never sound like. They all sound the same, especially Dungey. I usually press the mute button when he is being interviewed. If I was standing on the top box after winning a sx race, I would have Dianna Dahlgren (Miss Supercross) on my shoulders, a cold Budweiser in my hand, and would be letting the one liners fly. Come on guys, show your real personalities and do the "Hurricane" proud.
Racer X. Do you guys have any archive photos from the '83 Daytona Supercross with Bob Hannah and Miss Wrangler on his shoulders? If so, please post them so you can show todays riders how a victory celebration is done.
tard chariots! I love it! I blew my knee out ending my pro career, due to a berm being moved out of a blind corner due to a tard chariot. plus it takes no coordination what so ever to get on one and make it go, at least with a bike we eventually learn to ride with out the training wheels, makeing us better/safer riders. that is why I have allways and will allways hate them.
I agree about quads & also about the whole sponsor listing. What I find worse however is the constant baby jesus thank you's. We get it, you're christian, get over yourself.
Please have Hannah instruct these young fellows in a little "Podium Ettiquite"
I remember one of the earlier GPs at Unadilla, when asked by Larry Maiers "what happened to you at the start of the Moto?" he replied, " One of those F*cking Commies knocked me down." refering to the Russian riders. They restarted the interview ,for TV, several times but Hannah would not back down from his statement. An instant crowd favorite!