Ask Ping!
Friday, April 29, 2011 | 10:50 AM
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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Hi Ping,
I live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, which is also the Land of Sky Blue Water, and therefore know a thing or two about Minnesota. Here’s the question: Do you think it’s possible that our reigning champ is doing his best to win the title again with the least amount of financial burden to Suzuki? I do think he is that considerate.
Thanks,
Chris Brunholzl
I've bankrupt Suzuki with Dungey bonuses and disgraced my family.
Ryan is a genuinely nice and considerate young man. In 2010, he surpassed all expectations of him, including Suzuki’s expectation. They probably had his bonuses set quite high because, after all, that would be the safest way to get him to sign. Then he won, like, a hundred races and both titles and the boss at Suzuki probably had to fall on a sword for green-lighting that contract. It’s the honorable thing to do, after all.
I don’t know if Dungey is just being nice this year while trying to keep himself in the points with seconds, thirds and fourths but it has been working; he could win this thing. He’ll have to be inconsiderate and win a race or two to get this title though.
PING
Dear Ping,
I recently read an article about the uproar caused by a J Crew catalog picture of a mom painting her 4 year-old son's toenails pink. It appears to have a lot of people very upset about gender roles in America. Can you tell me, has the wearing of pink or other "effeminately-colored" riding gear ever confused a rider about his sexuality? Is Stewart still straight? And how about Damon Bradshaw? And Broc Glover before him? Or Greg Crater? Those guys were all rockin the Pretty in Pink look for a while. Do any of them now cross-dress when off the track? I sometimes wear yellow gear. Should I be worried I am going to catch gay?
Steve
Dear Steve,
You know, when I say your name with a lisp it sounds gay. I’m not sure if that’s anything to worry about, just something I noticed. We have a really bad habit lately, as a country, to overcorrect and overreact. Instead of using common sense and practicing moderation our knee-jerk reaction is to, well, overreact. It’s like driving on an icy road and instead of calmly steering into the skid when we break loose, we throw the wheel to the left, stomp the brakes and send ourselves right into the ditch. Is painting your son’s toenails pink going to alter his sexuality? Not likely. But having parents so weird that they paint their boy’s toenails pink because they think it’s funny is another story altogether.
Damon and Broc have both been married for a long time. If they are using their wives as a “beard” they are really going the extra mile. James is still single but, unless Sorby isn’t telling me something, he’s still playing for our team. It sounds to me like you might be a little worried about yourself. Well, if you do find yourself snuggled up to another guy at some point there are a few things to look forward to. If he’s your size, your wardrobe doubles instantaneously. You’ll no longer have to watch Desperate Housewives and you can come home from riding, grab a cold drink and post up on the couch to watch the races on TiVo. All you really have to get over is one thing. Just one thing. Good luck with that.
PING
Ping,
First of all I would like to say you are the true 101 in my book. I would also like to give you a complementary reach-around for your level-headed calls and quick witted retorts; there is no one better in the business out there, no s*&t! I heard the other day someone refer to Chad Reed's "Two Two Motorsports Team" as the "Double Deuce.” Well, that sent my mind reeling back in time to the movie Road House and the bar in that flick was called the Double Deuce, and I can still hear Sam Elliott referring to it as the "Double Douche!” My problem now is I can't seem to get Reed's teams new name ("Double Douche") out of my head, I am even imagining Double Douche on his jerseys and pants, what can I do to get that logo out of my head! Please help!
Oh, one other thing, the other 101 Ben Townley should give up his day job because his soft goods can't seem to handle his hard drive.
Regards, M.E. Bolin
Did you say your team name was Double Deuce? Hey, you know what we should call it?...
Great… now I can’t get it out of my head. I’m picturing you in the stands with a Chad Reed tee shirt on and one of those beer-dispensing helmets. Only instead of beer you are loaded up with, you guessed it, a pair of Massengill bottles. You are the Team Double Douche mascot. This isn’t going to be good for you and Reed fans are going to be mad at me for perpetuating the Roadhouse-inspired team name. Let’s just refer to his team as Chad Reed Racing, okay?
P.S. Don’t talk trash about Townley. That’s my boy. And, yes, my number is still on loan to him.
PING
Got a question for Ping? E-mail him at [email protected].
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Gots to love the Pingmeister!
Do any of you guys remember the announcement a while back that Stewart was engaged? Whatever happened with that?
One of my great memories was a random invite from a industry insider to go on a free ride with him and some buddies.
Gotta ride and hang out with you Ping about 5 years ago. You might remember, we were in a home made 6 wheel drive moto-hauler (grafted to the front of a ford 4x4 van).
You are a class act, as are the friends you surround yourself with.
Love the column.
lots of ghay overtone this week!!! LOL
Haha man that was funny! Ping you are the man. I love this column.
Ha ha, that first letter was great!
Awkward... BTW, how does DP101 know about the bottle that those things come in? Like I said, Awkward.
I like the hell out of Ben Townley, but I agree with the last letter writer, he needs to hang it up before he breaks somethings that can't be fixed. Sorry Ping, but those are my feelings and like my wife tells me, you can't argue feelings.
The most pink I've ever seen, was the last sx race 2 weeks ago.....yeah the dude on the KX that ate it in the LCQ.......THAT gear really made a "statement" if ya asked me. It was even ugly pink gear.......must be some kinda twist?? holeshot....means something else to those folks i think?
@BTsmith; Stewie is brilliant, deep down every guy has whispered the words, never again. Stewie never has to.
@joemotocross589 Read this week's privateer profile on Greg Crater.
As far as the Double Douche thing goes- I'm a huge Reed fan and I've been thinking the same thing for quite a while, but it's Sam Elliot and therefore awesome.
joemotocross589 - That dude in the pink gear a couple weeks ago, Greg Crater, would spank your ass all over that track in any color gear! Go read some of the press Mr. Crater received over that, and you will find the story of "Why" the pink Hurricane Gear came out! Watch for it in Vegas, should be back out there!
Road House- one of the greatest Saturday afternoon movies of all times. Start with the ludicrous plot, an NYU philosophy grad decides to become a hired gun a$$kicker. Then add in the fact that he's about 145lbs and maybe 5'8". Finally, the villain who some sort of local mafia/gangster type. Did I mention the smoking hot Doctor that stiches up our hero? Of course Swayze hammers her.
I have supported the breast cancer foudations for quite some time, but never wore pink. I think it was my 92 YZ 250 was supposed to be magneta? Well I had a female mailman whoops that is a contradiction, anyhooooo she asked if that was a bike for weomen? I promtly put the blue WR seat cover on it lol.
Social commentary 101: Why is it that females are allowed to cross-dress in public and have s e x with other women, and they're still not considered to be gay . But if a man goes like this with his hand (effeminate gesture) he's a fag. And what would be the male equivalent of a 'tomboy'?
@WFO_UFO:
Because we like to watch.
A Nancy boy.
Why do we like to watch? Why dont they like to watch us? Where are all these nancy boys? You still haven't answered my question. I am being serious.
It's nice.
It's gross.
West Hollywood.
Best I can do.
Me too.
Why is it that everybody loves it when girls act like queers? WTF?
Why is it nice when when they do it? Why is it gross when we do it? Why are they only in west hollywood? Thank you for trying, and being serious.
Only if they are hot. And fake.
What if two guys are hot. And fake. Does that make it ok?
NO! Seriously.
Good to see theres one American standing up for BT, cant wait till des nations so he can carve you up (again).
Coincidentally, the other 101, the BT one, finished 101st in the opening GP.
BT101 needs a new nickname....ARE YOU LISTENING PINGREE?
He is the "Paper Tiger". He looks fierce, but he is too delicate to acutally race in the U.S. against U.S. riders.
why is there only 3 almost every single time? Are you really busy trying to save that many lives Ping?
That has got to be by far the most CREEPY column of posts I have ever read on this site.
And by the way the term for the color PINK is vastly incorrect in most cases, it could be Fuchsia,Magenta, or perhaps Salmon....
Why the hate why?
The CREEPY part is that no one can come up with a serious answer to my questions! And i guess if this is as hateful as it's going to get, seems we did pretty good. The old yammies were magenta which is more purple than pink, and salmon is more orange than pink. Fuschia is the most pink (I used to be an artist).
Social commentary 201: This is not about whether trans-gender behavior, or homosexuality, are right or wrong. This is about society's perception of both (although trans-genderism and homosexuality, are not related in any way whatsoever). Why are these two things encouraged for females, and yet strictly forbidden for males. That seems like a serious double-standard to me. Ping is undoubtedly cringing in the background, but he is the one who started this, by publishing the pink toenail letter. Why is the thought of a male doing something non-male, regarded as comic material by our society, or even worse, fuel for homo-phobic hatred? Why is the thought of a female doing something non-female, regarded by our society as freedom of fashion-expression, or even better, sexual erotica? So far, we have one poster making homo-phobic jokes, and we have a second poster expressing his disdain for the hate, and a whole bunch of "no comments". I originally had read the pink toenail article on a news site last week, and I tried to comment on it at the bottom, but it wouldn't accept my registration/log in, which frustrated me. Then, lo-and-behold, here it is on 'Ask Ping' ! Small world ! So I said to all of you, what I wanted to say to all of them. It saddens me that I could not get an intelligent response from more than one of you. A sad reflection of our society.
Here is the original advertisment, that was referenced in the first of ping's letters. Please read it, if you have an open mind. Also, watch the video, and listen to the comments that are made, specifically at the end.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/crew-ad-boy-painting-toenails-pink-stirs-transgender/story?id=13358903
Obviously,none of the fans are still checking this blog, but racer-x'ers and pingsters, please read it for yourselves.