Ping,

I didn't realize it until I saw you and Matthes do a Classic Commentary of your win at the '95 San Jose SX, but I actually helped you pull that off.

I'm the guy in the purple sweatshirt holding up Casey Johnson's bike so nobody runs into him and they don't red flag the race. I remember stressing that they were going to throw the red flag and re-start the race and that woulda put a damper on things.

Your’re welcome.

M. Brown

PS.  You think smokin' Kenny Watson would want a 'Camel Supercross' hay bale cover?

• 
  San Jose '95 winner... Thanks to Purple Sweatshirt guy.

I had some help that night. Huffman going off the track in the first turn was big. He was on fire that year and I don’t think it would have happened for me that night without a little help. And then there was you, Mr. Purple sweatshirt guy, holding Casey Johnson’s bike while he sprawled out on the ground with a broken femur. Thank you…. Couldn’t have done it without you.

If you stole a Camel Supercross hay bale cover I’m sure KW would love to have it. But why would you want to give it to him?

PING

I know that riders train hard during the off-season to be ready for Anaheim. I know that. But are there any behind-the-scenes training secrets that we “regular folk” aren’t privy to? I’d love to get a head start on my 30-plus class competitors here in Minnesota. What are the tricks?

Zach

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  Get ready to get ripped!

Well, Zach, this is a tough question. Of course riding the motorcycle is critical and strength training is important. There is the cardiovascular training, which helps, obviously. But there is more to it than that. I’m not really supposed to say anything about this. There is an unspoken code, not unlike the chemically enhanced gentleman who compete in that big bicycle race in France. Except in our sport it is a specific piece of exercise equipment. Imagine if the Bowflex home gym actually made Chuck Norris as awesome as he is. Can you get your mind around that? The flimsy metal bars actually made his roundhouse kick what it is today… skull-crushing. An addition to the Seven Wonders of the World. Well, this piece of exercise equipment does just that for motocross racers. I’m hoping few people actually read this because I could get in trouble for divulging this information. Please keep it to yourself. And enjoy the training. Click HERE to for the video.

PING

Ping,

I got back into riding after a long absence thanks to the military and college and I need you to fill me in on a couple of things:

1. Who the heck is Johnny O’Hannah?  I remember a Johnny O’Mara and I remember Bob Hannah. Did they adopt a child together?
2. What happened to all the rednecks in our sport?  Back in the day all local tracks had a group of guys in beat up pickups riding 10 yr-old bikes while wearing blue jeans, short sleeves and a helmet that said WFO.  Mostly it was fun watching them crash all over the place, although there was always a fast one in the bunch, like lap-half-the-field fast.   That was always a reality check.  But now it’s all motor homes with brand new bikes and everyone is in perfectly matching riding gear.  I think it has thrown the motocross universe totally out of balance.

Sincerely,

Timothy

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  Wear with Skynard rocking in the background

Thank you for your service in our armed forces and thank you for taking the initiative to go to college. Hopefully I can help get you up to speed.

1. Johnny O’Hannah is a guy who served his country in the military proudly for many years. He has an unreasonable love for motocross and a complete lack of shame and reservation. He is an admirer of nostalgia, as evident by his signature JT Racing jacket and Jeff Emig-inspired afro. He helps with podium duties at the national motocross rounds. He can’t drive a go-cart to save his life but he is a good dude. That’s about all I really know about him.
2. The sport just changed, like everything else. I remember the WFO stickers you are talking about. I don’t think I was old enough to actually have one on my bike but I giggled to myself every time I saw one. I did have some sweet boot gators though and the first pair of motocross leathers I ever had were actually made of leather. I’m not sure where you live but there are still pockets of racing that are much more similar to the “old days” than places like California and Florida are now. Every time I head north to Montana I’m reminded that sometimes a slowed pace of life is nice and being “stuck in the past” isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully you don’t let the new up-town amateur motocross crowd run you out of the sport because it is still as great as it ever was. You just need to find the right group of people to ride with.

PING