Ask Ping!
Friday, January 13, 2012 | 9:20 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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Hey Ping,
What's up with the Honda car symbol next to the Honda riders on the SPEED coverage of Anaheim 1? Is Chad Reed racing a Civic?
Chad Merrill
This was actually a racer trying to get to Unadilla for practice a few years ago. True story.
The only thing I can think of is that the guy in charge of placing those logos has seen some of these riders in their rental cars at the races. Maybe Reed and Brayton were hitting speed bumps like whoops and jumping their rentals like Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit. Trust me: it happens. I’ve seen Chevy Malibu’s much higher in the air than anyone should. I’m not sure what happened with the logos. For a minute I thought it was the Hyundai logo, which is a blatant rip-off of the Honda car logo, and I was really confused. My guess is they’ll have it sorted for this weekend and the gentleman who made the mistake will do the honorable thing and fall on his sword.
PING
Hey Ping,
I don’t know everything about supercross but I have been a fan for quite a few years now. Am I missing something or did the 30-second board girl miss her mark at Anaheim? The digital numbers were somewhere around eleven when she turned it sideways and trotted off. I’ve never heard 20 bikes wound that tight for that long. Any idea what happened?
Roger D.
(No, not that one)
Beautiful? Absolutely. Awesome at counting down from 30? Not so much.
This isn’t the first time we’ve had issues with the starting line staff. There was a debacle that involved a different spokes model at Budd Creek recently. But unless the AMA takes it back over and puts a puffy guy in a red, white and blue uniform back in charge of the 30-second board my guess it is this won’t be the last time. Miss Supercross looked up and thought the board was at zero so she turned it and walked off. Unfortunately it was at 12 and for the next 18 seconds it sounded like every rider on the line was trying to blow their bike up on the starting line. I was waiting for valve springs and pieces of cam to start shooting out from under the bikes like grenade shrapnel. I like to picture all the different engine builders pulling their hair out in fistfuls as the time slowly ticked by with the machines bouncing off their rev limiters. Great times. I know 30 seconds is a long time and counting down from that can be a tedious task. But much like supercross itself, handling the 30-second board duties is not a job for everyone. You have to be able to discern whether or not the board has been in the air for 30 second and then you have to turn it sideways and walk off. You know, it actually doesn’t sound that difficult. And yet, many good riders had their results negatively affected because of the snafu. Ask Jason Anderson who, after nearly fifteen seconds of being wide open, looked up to see what was going on only to have the gate drop seconds after he picked his head up. He thought they would restart the race. They probably should have, but they didn’t, and Jason started dead last. Hopefully this doesn’t happen again because it is embarrassing and easily avoidable.
PING
Dear Ping,
Here is a nice picture of Jeff Ward ripping a big fart over a double. My question is have you ever had to go #2 during a moto? And, if so, did you let it loose? Or, do you know any good stories of a rider relieving themselves while racing ?
Charley
Cup-O-Cheese anyone?
Wardy has never been discrete with his gas. His favorite joke when we raced Supermoto together was the classic “Pull my finger” gag. I tried changing his nickname to the Flying Fart but it never seemed to stick. Maybe this photo will help.
I’ve always been pretty good about using the toilet before I hit the track. The last thing you want mid-moto is a heavy case of mud-butt. I did once have to cancel a date with my wife when we were first dating. I was rocking some white shorts and had a mild case of bubble guts that evening. I had a little gas present itself and I gambled and lost en route to Chili’s. I had to turn around ASAP as possible (that’s an Office joke) and cancel our plans. She was pissed but I’m sure she would have been more upset if I showed up in soiled shorts.
Thanks for the Wardy pic. He’s going to love that.
PING
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HOLESHOT! Yes I have gone number 2 in my pants when I cased a big double on the first lap. It was like riding with a melted snickers bar in my crack for 45 min. on a 95 degree day at KENWOTHY's. I gave my pants to a lucky fan!
I ment KENWORTHY's.......HOLESHOT!
They need to put a shock collar on those girls butts then when you beep them you get the wiggle and the correct board deployment.
Question: Do we really need to have a monster girl hold the 30 second board anyway????? Especially if they are not paying-afukin-attention...Don't get me wrong, I love the sneak peak teaser from behing ass shot while she sways back and forth, but c'mon....What happened at A1 was retarded and it screwed some dudes night.....I have been waiting for one of those chicks to bail and have 20 bikes barrelling down on her.....how about you put the guy back in and have the chick just stand on the side of track with her thumb in her butt
I always sharted my pants during big races because the Johnny on the spots were busy before the gate and the intensity of fear increased in the first corner.
I certainly don't mind seeing Diane out there, but wouldn't you think the Starter Guy would have started his own count when he heard 20 bikes hit the rev limit?
i think the people who run this should be thinking less about the live tv packege and more about the racing if i was jason anderson o would have parked my bike on the finish line with the rev limiter pined until the red flaged it i think this summer dungey had a helmet visor problem and they wouldn't hold the gate for him also bull shit the ama needs to get there priority strait is it realy that hard to move one of the closing commercials around so dunge can get his shit strait im prity sure youre supposed to get 2 minutes if you need it before the gate drop
Ms supercross may be a stereotypical blonde but can't the dude at the gate hear twenty bikes bouncing off the rev limiter for 18 seconds? Is he deaf? Isn't it his job to ensure a fair start?
Mud Butt sounds perrty $hity to me.. That also would suck for racers behind..
AMA Starter should have heard the "miss cue", but probably right about the Live TV coverage taking priority
RV had Mud last year at one race!! as for the 30sec girl, GET Mercedes out there she will do it right!!
I had a friend puke in his helmet while riding one time. He had just eaten a Whopper, then went riding. And do we really need some bimbo simulating sex acts while trying to decipher a count-down clock? Get an AMA ref back doing the job, and make the whole thing look a little more professional.
@BillC, give it up. She was offered the job back but thought she was too good for moto. We dont need her snobby self back. Diana does a fine job and looks good doing it.
RV had that problem at Budds Creek last year, I have been lucky enough to not have had that happen.
They need to put a race official in charge of the 30 second board.
My 2 cents on this is also along the lines of erring a bit more on the professionalism side.
If we have to have the scantily clad lovelies, then let them run around the pits and the event stadium doing the promotional stuff they are hired for BUT keep them out of any of the TV coverage roles.
The fans at teh even get to oogle, and we do not pass our sport of as a cliche on national tv.
Just sayin,
I cant belive all of the comment about ,lets call it mud but? But what the heck I suppose all of or most here are guys? That is our nature. I wanna know who flew the car into the roof? Looks like nobody got hurt and its a funny pic for that reason. So lets start guessing till we get Ping to tell us who it is? I am gonna rule out Hannah and Weinert cause it is a newer car so I gonna go with Travis or Ping????
Who do you all think it was???????
LETS RACE!!
AS for the 30 second woman/girl Begin practicing counting backwars from 30. I know it will take a lot of practice but now you are famous. it geos like this 30,29,28,27,26,25,24,23,22, oh thet is reeds nbr , where was I oh yeay12,11,10,9, oh shit where was I/ oh I better get oputof here...... eeeeeeekkkkkkk.
@KillerMoto,Hahahahhahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was funny.TardPills anyone?
Just a humble peasant here with an opinion... when the chick took off with the digital number board, all riders recognized that it was "game on." Now it is " joe idiot in the box" with his hand on the gate lever that is now in charge. He should of stepped up and began his count and probabaly shortened it slightly to compensate for the girls screw up. I think even a guy coulda misread at the 10 second mark. You mighta looked up and just caught the 0. I don't know for sure what happened, but the professional gate dropper shoulda compensated for her error.
@Welker- she tried counting backwards until she got to 27, forgot where she was, then has to start over. So they caned that idea because the would had never dropped the gate.
@Fred- I could use some tard pills about now.
@Killomoto- thats funny.
@BillC- yeah, lets not forget when Poto had to clear his throat before he stated singing last season outdoors!
I'd like to see a 30 second pole, from the top of the stadium, ms. SX stripper-spins down the pole, gate drops within 5 seconds from when she hits the stadium floor.
Easy fix... ditch the count down clock. card goes sideways get ready no matter if it was 30 sec or not. Makes it look like a circus anyway. You fix the card problem and ditch bret michaels and you have yourself a respectable broadcast.
LOL bd200 she did not do so "FINE" last week!!!
If I remember correctly (and I pay close attention to this) it wasnt Diana Dahlgren holding the board for the lites class. I thought it was a dark haired bimbo instead? Correct me if Im wrong.
ronniebarnhardt....it was definately Diana..and she looked great doing it....problem is that everyone acts like she is the only one to make this mistake....ive watched johnny bellyfat screw it up also....And if its going to get botched...i would rather see eye candy like Diana botching it...And after the verbal beating she sustained it will never happen again
The profesional gate dropper is just like everyone else in the world, just like the people at my job, and probably all of you. When you have both hands "covering your arse", you don't have any left to do anything. Nobody will make a decision on there on anymore.
I'd hate to lose a championship because of a Monster girl f-up!!!
Also bd200 Mercedes was there. I don't know why you bash her for taking a job that pays MORE, You always say crap like " but thought she was too good for moto"... I guess if you got a job offer that pays way more than you make now you would say no thanks?? Even more of a bad idea when her career is a short one.
Was it just me or was there an AMA guy waving his arms at the 30 sec girl last night when the time came to get her off the track? Looks like we have a failsafe system now!