Dear Ping:

What's the deal with the air horns during the MXoN? Is it a cultural thing or what? Just from my personal view if I were to bring an air horn to a Supercross race I believe negative things would happen to me! What would you suggest as an appropriate item and/or noisemaker that I can bring to a Supercross race? I normally bring a good time and some Mandingo Pickles.

Thank you,

Pickles

• 
  Euros love chainsaws and bikes. The answer: Chainsaw bike.

I’ve given up trying to explain away some of the habits of our European friends. Bringing air horns and chainless chainsaws to motorcycle races is a longstanding tradition in the old world and something I’ve never seen anywhere else. I did have beer bottles thrown at me in a Costa Rican supercross inside a bull-fighting arena. I’m pretty sure that was just the beer talking though. I’m always surprised to see the number of people with these overzealous noisemakers when I go to Europe. I mean, how do you carry something like that when you have a Red Bull and Vodka in one hand and a cigarette in the other?

To keep from getting your ass kicked I would suggest sticking with your current items when attending U.S. supercross rounds. A good time is always welcome and the pickle thing seems weird but, hey, to each his own. Anything louder than a whistle, clap or shout has the potential to get you knocked out, especially if you are in the bro Mecca of southern California.

PING

Ping,

Hello, since you seem to have all the answers to thing's unimportant here I go… Why has it been accepted that although it is pronounced motocross it is always shown with an X? X, as I was taught, meant to multiply. A cross looked like a t, but not in this script. Just wondering. Have a good day.

P.S. or just X, as in x-ray. Also just wanted to mention I rarely break frames in Mad Skills Mx ( or MT) since you complained...

• 
  Way ahead of the Pro Link, Full Floater and Uni Trak systems.

Man, that is a strange question and unless you are higher than a giraffe’s ass right now I don’t understand why you would be sitting around wondering something like that. Still, I always do my best to answer questions no matter the number of Twinkies that were consumed while it was thought up. Yamaha used to have a swingarm system called the Mono Cross. Remember that? They shortened that up to Mono X after a while. Christmas used to be about the birth of Jesus Christ. Remember that? Then Hallmark decided they could sell X-Mas cards to atheists who wanted the tree and presents but didn’t want to acknowledge any type of deity. Christina Aguillera used to be a trailer trash singer with a hit titled “Genie in a Bottle.” Remember that? Now she’s, well, I guess she’ll always be trashy but she’s a little heavier and she goes by X-Tina. I’m not sure where I’m going with any of this … maybe I’ve gotten a contact high just from reading your email.

According to Wikipedia the letter ‘X’ is commonly used as the name for an independent variable or unknown value. I don’t think that applies to any of the examples we’re working with so I’m not sure there is a definitive answer here for you pal. Maybe your should just put down the bong and get some sleep.

PING

Dear Ping,

I am sure you have been injured many times in your career and you run the risk of additional injuries every time you throw a leg over a bike.  As an aspiring career firefighter what do you tell your wife so that she doesn't give you a hard time about the future of your family in the event something happens to you?  I myself am a firefighter with five kids (3 at home) here in the LA area and after a 2009 helicopter ride, a concussion, a lacerated kidney (thanks to a rider exiting the track at the landing of LACR's infamous triple step up), broken ribs on multiple occasions, ACL repairs (one was a wakeboard injury), a separated shoulder and most recently two broken vertebrae (thanks to Racetown wind at the FPMX nationals), how do I convince, coerce, bribe my wife to allow me to continue riding and/or racing motocross?  Unlike you, I have never made a living in this industry but ever since I can remember it has been my passion...the sounds, the smells, the rush, the bikes, the camaraderie...everything.  If you look at my history and tell me to hang it up like everyone else has...I may just listen.

Hopefully you take our test this next year, you would be a good guy to have around the station...that is if you are as entertaining off the cuff and in person.

JR

• 
  You gotta back it down

Sorry to hear about your injuries … All of them. And in your case that works out to a lot of sorrow. My family and friends have already started in on me about getting hurt and you have to definitely consider what they’re saying. Anyone with a job has to consider the ramifications of hitting the deck and getting a ride to the hospital. It’s hard to pay the bills when you are in the ICU on a morphine drip. The last year or so I have definitely toned it down. Often times there are jumps at a track that I want to do and I have to check my pride at the front gate and accept the fact that I am a complete va*%na. In your case I would rethink my protective gear and the intensity level at which you are riding. Just going off your injury list it seems like you’ve been cranking it up to eleven while wearing nothing but bicycle spandex and a hockey helmet. If you back it down just a little bit you should be able to still ride and enjoy yourself without single-handedly buying your orthopedic surgeon a condo in Mammoth. Hang it up? No way. Just tone it down.

Oh, and I did take LA County’s test. I’m in band one and waiting for backgrounds to begin. See you on the job?

PING

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