Ask Ping!
Friday, June 8, 2012 | 9:00 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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PrintDear Ping,
Is it OK if we forgive Christophe Pourcel now? Now that we can all believe that the particular model of motorcycle he walked away from last summer does not work for certain riders, can we also believe that he was concerned about his safety and not just being a diva?
Thank you,
Chris
Wait, when were we mad at Christophe Pourcel? When did this happen? I actually got a kick out of his pre-race ritual at the Nationals where he would dump an entire bottle of water over himself and create a plume of steam that looked like an awesome high school science class recreation of the atom bomb testing in New Mexico. Pourcel is an incredibly talented rider and it is a shame the way things went for him here in the States.
Yes, he was probably villain-ized for being standoffish and, well, French. But that is just a cross that all French riders have had to bear when they first raced here. It goes back to World War 2 and the loss of American lives at Normandy and beyond. Though many Americans forget that without French support we may not have been successful against the British during our own revolution. Still, socialist government ideology flies in the face of our Constitution and Bill of Rights and, right or wrong, there is unspoken tension between the two countries.
That said, Christophe could have made it here if he wanted to. He didn’t interact with fans or the media, much like Bayle and Pichon before him, and it made his stay here more difficult. He should have talked to DV, Roncada or Tortelli about how to fit in a little better. Or maybe he’s better off at home. It isn’t easy for anyone to move to another country and be away from family and friends. If he’s happy at home I say he made the right move.
PING
Dear Ping,
First off, as almost everyone else says, thank you for the most entertaining feature on RacerX.com. I look forward to it every week.
But now on to my question: what does it cost to run a professional race team for a year? When I ask that, I'm asking for a ballpark figure on costs for rider salaries, team personnel, bikes, rig, general operating costs, such as travel, etc.
Also, what type of support does a team like the TLD team you managed receive? Do the teams typically have to pay for things such as engine mods and suspension kits or do the companies that sponsor the team usually absorb the costs for those type things?
Thanks again for the awesome column and online feature each week,
Jess Wilder
A better money-making idea.
They say the best way to have a million dollars in the bank at the end of the year as a race team is to start with two million. Though, in this economy you might need to start with even more. The cost can vary. If you are Eleven 10 Mods and you run a couple guys out of a box van you will spend just a little less than Factory Honda. For a competitive 250 team, like TLD, budgets can run anywhere from 1 to 2 million dollars. You’ll find that much of your budget gets eaten up with salary so finding riders who are willing to ride good equipment for little pay are the best place to start. However, you can only get lucky with those guys for so long and when you want to start winning you have to start paying.
Exhaust systems and suspension valving are typically covered in a sponsorship agreement but buying A-kit units is a cost taken on by the team. Those are about $7000 per set, by the way, and each rider needs a race set, a backup set and a practice set. Most teams have three or four riders. I’ll give you a minute to do the math on that.
Chains, sprockets, grips, tires, bars, oils and other products are usually given to the teams at no charge. However, teams are usually given an allowance from the manufacturer for OEM parts and when they burn through that they are on their own. And only the very best teams are supported by the manufacturers at all! Add in the cost of your transporter, travel, entry fees, race shop, maintenance and every other little thing and it becomes very hard to make money running a race team. You might be better off going to Vegas and hitting the roulette wheel. At least you’ll get free drinks and a coupon for the buffet.
PING
Ping,
The last couple videos you did I noticed you’ve shed some of that spare tire you were known for. What’s your secret? Jenny Craig? Weight Watchers? Meth? I hope you have a good dentist. Nice to see you keeping the ice cream intake to a minimum… good job. Maybe time to sell some to Matthes?
Honda Mike
My goal is to be this thin.
I’ve never been known as the guy with six-pack abs. Even in my racing heyday when I was fit I looked more like the neighbor kid who spends all day eating Otter Pops and playing Call of Duty than an athlete. Given my genetic predisposition to being a lard ass you can imagine how quickly the lbs packed on when I quit training regularly and started sitting at a desk all day. You can take a look at any number of former racers and see the effects of avoiding the gym. Carmichael, Vuillemin, McGrath, Langston and even the Dogger [before he discovered his Scoobie Snack diet] added some “undeveloped muscle” to their mid-section after they called it quits. Alas, you don’t see a bunch of fat fireman so in order to continue down my new career path I’ve revisited my diet and exercise plan and the results are pretty obvious.
As for Steve, I predict he pulls a Steve Cox when he’s finally sick of being heavy and he drops some major weight. I just hope he doesn’t go around showing everyone how big his biceps are when he finally does it.
PING
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What are A-kit units?
I think those are the works suspension kits from Pro-Circuit. They are SWEET!!
Yep, big $$$$ suspension components. Now, on to France. Good to see Musquin has a good personality and seems like this is really where he wants to be and race.
@HandlebarDragger........true enough about WW2, and for that matter WW1. At the earliest point of our Republic, the Brits were our main adversaries, and the French are instrumental in our United States not being another colony that eats "fish and chips". At some point (this is hard but necessary) we must give the "frogs" our love, respect and understanding for without their help we wouldn't be who we are today.........
Sure enough, Marvin the Martian is a great ambassador for France and their MX community. It is a pleasure to have him race against the best racers in the world, especially having won two "World" Championships. He knows where the real competition is...........
@SeventiesRacer Had to chuckle at "fish and chips", they are real you know haha. Just like "beef jerky" and "hamburgers". I've had fish and chips in America and I can assure you they're shit nothing like the proper stuff over in Blighty.
Anyway as far as CP goes, he is an amazing talent but just like the French Unions with their love of a good strike, he likes to down tools as soon as things aren't going his way. He's got the best style of any of the GP guys at the minute. Anyway hat ever his reason for leaving the states I'm sure he didn't do it on a whym.
I'm sure Wolfgang and Gusepi would be happy to have him on the podium rather than Caroli's rogue set of tombstones (and you think brits have bad teeth) for getting new people into the sport. I am going to put a picture of them on my tool box to stop people theiving.
Ping, or anybody, how do I/you send question for you to read, answer and post on here? Anyways, here's my questions and I've always been very curious about this....
How many bikes does each rider have? Lets say a Ryan Dungey. Does he ride a practice bike all week, then gets on his "race bike" on Sat? Does he only ride the race bike on Saturday's for practice and racing only? If so, when their dialing in the practice bike, do they just adjust the "race bike" excatly the same? Will it always feel 100% like the practice bike?
Also, do they replace the motor, clutch, chains, etc after every race? So their basically on a new bike every weekend/race!? And a guy like Dungey, does he get to keep his bikes after every season, or where does their old bikes end up? Thanks PING!! I listen to PulpMX everynight when going to sleep and man between you and Weege, you guys crack me up!!! Keep it up bro!
Ping forgot to mention the cost for providing all of the half drunk waterbottles that litter a pit area. Those can't be cheap.
If we let the Chermans wipe out the Fwenche, then we would have more BMWs, Audis and Mercs and less Peugeots and Citroens littering the wrecking yards of america.
We blew it.
Anyone familiar with @handlebore knows he would have been REALLY happy if Germany had won and "cleansed' the planet of basically anyone without a hood. @bigugly ...junkyard Peugeots and Citroens supplied my bike hauling Maxi-vans with cheap ultra comfortable long distance bucket seats for years and for this I thank them..lol Musquin seems genuinely happy to just be on the bike and racing here...it refreshing....
Ping leaned up because he learned how to make a meth lab.I'm in the process of learning how to make one so that I can to.
Pourcel likes the lifestyle, the racing, and the tracks here much better than Europe and if factory Kawi every pulls their head out and nixes this pathetic Jake Weimer experiment, he will be back here in a heartbeat. Pourcel won more here than he ever did in Europe because those tracks don't suit his style at all. They are perfect for guys like Cairoli, Rattray, and Searle and their ugly charging riding styles.
Pourcel likes the lifestyle, the racing, and the tracks here much better than Europe and if factory Kawi every pulls their head out and nixes this pathetic Jake Weimer experiment, he will be back here in a heartbeat. Pourcel won more here than he ever did in Europe because those tracks don't suit his style at all. They are perfect for guys like Cairoli, Rattray, and Searle and their ugly charging riding styles.
Pourcel likes the lifestyle, the racing, and the tracks here much better than Europe and if factory Kawi every pulls their head out and nixes this pathetic Jake Weimer experiment, he will be back here in a heartbeat. Pourcel won more here than he ever did in Europe because those tracks don't suit his style at all. They are perfect for guys like Cairoli, Rattray, and Searle and their ugly charging riding styles.
Nice triple post...newb.
France, if it wasn't for us you would be speaking German :D
France, if it wasn't for us you would be speaking German :D
I'd like to see Pourcel settle in the states for awhile and run the 450 class in SX and MX. I think that Kawi really agreed with him.
JMB was amazing when he was here.
I don't think the problem most people had with Pourcel had anything to do with his interaction with the fans, it had to do with his unprofessional behavior concerning his leaving MotoConcepts. To just not show up for the race and/or call to tell your team manager you are quitting is unforgivable for someone at his level of the sport. For DV to show up for the race and tweet that he didn't know where Pourcel was or if he would be racing was just ridiculous. Talented or no, it is really inexcusable.
OK,OK, I read "Ping" as soon as it came up this am but waited to see what yall would say? I have a lot of respect for Pourcel. The dude can flat out ride! Yes Wedenday was D-Day in history, it is interesting that the question about the French came up? To go back to the war for the Independance of the USA yes without the help of the French we might have not won, though I dont think so. My DEad and all of his brothers sevrved in WW2 also some of my relatives seved in WW1. the truth is unless you are a native american Indian or for Alaska an Inuit, and for Hawwaii I forgot then everyone else is an immigrant. My Familily came from Germany though Ellis Island just like you are supposed to in the late 1800's. They then learned to speak english and moved to MO to help settle northeast MO. Unlike the Illegals that we have to deal with now! The French and also the Brits and Germany are now our Allie's. Never mind that France now has a Socalist president. Ya need to studdy history as much as I have. Right now the world is in a big mess!
I am worried about an alliance between Russia, China and Iran. Then we have the Syria problem that nobody wants to fix? Personally I try to not buy anything from China as it is all junk. I remember when we could by stuff made in USA and it would last. I went to Wally Mart and asked to buy somthing not made in China the person ran offf????????? OK no more History lessons from me.
Just would like to see Pourcell back in the USA racing again! He has paid his dues and if he feels unsafe he has that right after what he has been through!
Now on to how much does it cost to race well I need to look up the records I have from racing in the mid 80's. I got my bikes at cost plus $100 dollars. Got my parts at cost plu10% and paid frieght. I kept track of gas expens and a lot of other stuff and this is just for racing the Open intermidiate class in Texas. Yes Mat Bracken you owned the cl;assed back then but you could not get a holeshot against me to save your dad from getting mad at you! Just joking with you if you read this, Alot of you other guys were great competitors also!
Anyhoooooooo I need to look it up but if I remember correct it cost me around 15 to 20K a year just to race around Texas and I did travel to a few other states. That was quite a bit of money back then.
I never had my parents pay for my racing exept back in the 70's Dad would pay for the gas and the motel room when we traveled. I came to Texas the first time in the fall of 73 to race the TCL 5000. I had just started racing 125 ex/pro or A class it depended where you were racing.
I am sure with the great 4 bagers it cost a lot more even in todays $$$$$. Gee I miss racing though!
Now I am not gonna say much about the last question? I am just glad Ping is now doing the job he has now I have a good friend that is a retired Batallion Cheif and hhe is lucky to be alive and has saw it all just like some of my Police officer friends.
Ya after I quit woking when I was 45 it now lookes like I am a fat boy hillibilly bob. So I fit in with some of my biker friends and no we dont do drugs or everyone would look like the biker in the pic...................
High Point here we come!
LETS RACE!!!!
PS: Hey Fred you need to lighten up on the "tard" pills I do just fine without them! Just razzin ya dude, Take care!!! Be safe "Live Long and Prosper"
Been watching Star Treck.
Ask Ping, this is a great article, usualy very good humour.
I can't help but think all these remarks regarding the French & war are being made by very confused teenagers, I hope I am wright.
The French are a totaly different culture to your own as are the British to the French and the USA.
As for the 2nd world war, try reading some history on it & as to the reasons it came about & what would have happened if one evil madman had won in europe.
Nothing to do with Pourcell or his ancestors. Keep it on the motocross
@Welker that was a lot of post hahahaha.I think you my be geeked up on those tard pills.They were good comments though sounded very accurate.
By the way ,I want Pourcel back.It was the bike!
@ Fred No It is jjust the MD 20/20. Needed to relax a bit now I gotta pay bills, Gonna use your checkbook lol...............
I swear I've been looking for my checkbook all day.Thanks for finding it.Ouch!
@CJNunes426 Thats a load of shit that Pourcel prefers the lifestyle in America, he's f**king French and they have their own culture (I respect them for it and think that it's something the British miss) and they don't like to stray too far from it. You can tell he's a stubborn c**t. America is a million miles away from what France is like. I think Musquin is a lot more open minded / more excited about been in America. Pourcel is older and more laid back, less easily influenced by the whole 'American Dream'.
As for the comments about the other riders not suiting US riding because they're harder charging, all the GP riders that come over are shocked by how you guys charge so much at the start and they're not used to it. I guess longer GP motos make it more of a kind of 'stead away' race. Sealre never made any damage in the US like what he has in the GP's before he left and now.
Not meaning to sound like a b!tch just opinions.
What?! We're supposed to believe that none of these racing teams are making any money and they all travel out here to our part of the country every year in there super haulers, except the riders who fly out here, and they're all doing it at a loss? What?!
I'm not eating that. There is some money being made folks or the production wouldn't be so big, on TV, and happening year after year.
@Welker-Good to see you're still drinkin' the Mad Dog! And as long as you have Fred's checkbook, drink a little extra and send me a couple hundred dollar check! Thanks Fred! lol
@Buckey you're welcome.I think Welker gave CZ Mark and Tons of Fun a blank check to.That Ho!
Oh man Fred, sucks to be you! Wait til he gets your credit card! Welker, on the other hand, is livin' LARGE! Buyin' up the Mad Dog by the case!
It sure does suck to be me.Haha!