Blah, blah, blog...

Posted by David Pingree on Friday, September 12, 2008

 Comment (0)   Email Print

 

I had my mind blown yesterday when I chatted with a buddy who works as a rider agent in the industry. We were talking about Josh Grant’s move to JGR next year and somehow the topic of rider salaries came up. I think I asked him because he is one of the few people that have a good idea what riders are making from the top guys to those begging for rides. When I heard that Josh Grant was making somewhere around $850,000 I almost swallowed my tongue. I know that once you hit thirty you are considered a dinosaur in this sport, but this Big-Bellied Pingasaurus cannot fathom a team paying that much money to a guy that has yet to win a title. I guess each generation feels the exact same way about it. Bob Hannah probably put his fist through a wall when he found out how much money Jean-Michel Bayle was making when he was here. Ricky Johnson probably couldn’t believe how much money Lusk, McGrath, and Vuillemin were making when he was watching from a suite during the late 1990s. And Jeremy would be impressed by how much loot Stewart and Villopoto are getting paid right now. And in another decade those guys will shake their head at the salaries that Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo will be pulling down. And when those guys are retired and we are racing dirt bikes on the moon in shiny silver suits with a big V on the front it will boggle their minds how much the top riders will be getting paid then. Although at that point it might be payment in oxygen credits or food capsules or some other valued commodity. And I’m sure Al Gore will have invented that, too, just like the Internet.

But even the guys that are struggling to make a name for themselves are getting PAID these days. I don’t want to sound like a bitter old guy but when I signed with Mitch in 1995 I got the starting salary for a rookie…$25,000. And I knew I wasn’t getting totally screwed because he paid Ricky Carmichael the exact same amount two years later when he started there. Kids today are getting anywhere from $150,000 to $500,000 before they’ve even raced a pro national! Go ahead and gather up the pieces if your head just exploded. I’ll wait a minute… Keep in mind I’m not just talking about the Nico Izzis and Austin Stroupes here. Guys that have never been close enough to a podium to catch the sweat dripping off the winner’s jock are making solid six figures.

Hey, I’m not mad at them… I just want to be sixteen again.

 

 

Posted by David Pingree on Friday, September 12th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

 Comment (0)   Email Print

 

 

RECENT COMMENTS

 

ALL COMMENTS

 

In order to post comments you must be logged in. Log in HERE or create an account HERE

• 2009(30)0
• November(1)0
• Thinking of Sgt. David Cho
• October(2)0
• Bercy Blog: Day 1
• We Are All Americans
• September(3)0
• The Racer X FFL: Week 1!
• The Racer X FFL: Week 2
• The RX Office: Where Work Goes to Die
• August(2)0
• Mud's Creek
• What Was Travis Thinking?
• June(5)0
• Luke Burkhart Back on the Bike
• Matthes Travels
• Matthes' Road Trip To Berlin
• Matthes' Second Day in Germany
• The Matthes of Venice
• May(2)0
• Daniel Blair's Season Review
• The Weege is Wrong!
• April(4)0
• Bowyer's Seattle Blog
• My Racer X Gas Card Experience
• The Racer X Gas Card Experience
• The Scoreboard and the Wildcards
• March(4)0
• Bill and Steve's Excellent Adventure: Day 2
• Bill and Steve's Excellent Adventure: Day 3
• Bill and Steve's Excellent Adventure: The End
• Bill and Steve's Excellent Florida Adventure: Day 1
• February(2)0
• The Dark Days of The Dog
• The Wisdom of the Weege
• January(5)0
• BBMX On The Information Superhighway
• Blair's Houston Race Report
• Jacob Saylor's Houston Report
• Maddison Triumphs at the Triomphe!
• WWHHD?
• 2008(87)0
• December(10)0
• 22 and Counting: Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki Rolls Towards Anaheim
• East or West?
• Favorite Riders
• Foust In, Pastrana Out for Race of Champions
• HHR Mini Olympics 2008
• My First Motocross Race
• Racer X FFL Results - Week 13
• Racer X FFL Results-It's Over!
• Racer X FFL Results-Week 12!
• Rattray Coming to America!
• November(12)0
• Even More Items Added to the eBay Auction for Blair Morgan
• JNCC Blog: Day 3--Practice!
• JNCC Blog: Race Day!
• Metal Mulisha Blog
• Only Two Days Left in Blair Morgan Auction!
• Racer X FFL Results - Week 11
• Racer X FFL Results-Week 10!
• Racer X FFL Results-Week 9!
• Racer X FFL Results: Week 10!
• Swiss Supercross Update
• The World Vets
• Third and Final Wave of Stuff for Blair Morgan Recovery Released
• October(22)0
• Another Energy Crisis - by DC
• Blair Morgan eBay Auction Update
• Doublin Gap: Day 1
• Evil Knievel?
• Ferry on KROC
• Getting Even and Getting Odd
• Grant-tastic?
• High Point
• High Voltage: Reed and Moss Jolt Super X Australasia
• It's a Major Step for RC, and We Can All Watch it Live
• JNCC Blog: Days 1 and 2
• Larry Hughes Flashback
• Missing McFarlane
• Racer X FFL Results, Week 8
• Racer X FFL Results-Week 5!
• Racer X FFL Results-Week 6!
• Racer X FFL Results-Week 7!
• The Big Picture at the Australian Grand Prix
• Top Gun Showdown
• Top Gun Showdown: Day 1
• Top Gun Showdown: Day 2
• Who's Going to Win?
• September(43)0
• "Blogservations" After the First MX1/MX2 moto
• "Blogservations" after the MX1/MX3 moto
• "Blogservations" after the MX2/MX3 Moto
• "Blogservations" From MXDN
• "Blogservations" From MXDN - Saturday Morning
• "Blogservations" from MXDN - Sunday Morning
• A Parade In Sweden?
• A Steel City Saturday
• Blah, blah, blog...
• Blair...
• Brothers in Arms
• Durham Signs?
• English Vacation
• Goodfellas: Italy and World Championship Motocross
• Is There a Wey?
• Jacob Saylor's GP Experience
• James Stewart in New York Times
• Looking for MXoN Info?
• Matthes on Throttle Jockey TV
• Memories of DV and Swedish SX Results
• Mike Alessi Update
• Motocross of Nations
• Must See: Rick James Stewart
• MXoN Road Trip: Day 2
• MXoN Road Trip: We're here!
• New Poll! Check it out!
• Poll: Class Names for 2009 MX
• Racer X Fantasy Football League - Week 1 Results
• Racer X FFL Results - Week 2!
• Racer X FFL Results - Week 3!
• Racer X FFL Results- Week 4!
• Remembering RC vs. K-Dub
• Road Racer X at the Indy Moto GP
• Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open Tracks
• Saturday's MXoN Blog
• Silly Season-of-the-Century
• Stewart's MXoN Goggles
• The Racer X Google Calendar
• Welcome to the Racer X Staff Blog
• Well I’m Not a Doctor, But I Do Race Motocross
• What Will Pro Circuit Do?
• What's MDK/KTM Going to Do?
• What's Yamaha Going to Do?

• Racer X Staff Blog
• Blogandt
• DMXS Radio
• Sarah Smile
• Road Racer X
• Solitaire
• Whipped