@PING 3

Ping talks about serious goon riding skills, why pros don't get paid what they should, and how firemen and cops make fun of each other.

@PING is brought to you by Troy Lee Designs, Eks Brand, and VP Racing. 

Ping,

Surfing YouTube today and I got to thinking, from a professional’s point of view, like yourself (that wasn’t grade-A butt kissing like Kevin Windham just randomly throwing in a sponsor on the podium), how impressive is it that Ronnie Mac can actually ride a dirt scooter like he does? 
Not a professional. 

Thank you

Amateur,

It’s incredible. With the exception of Trey Canard, I can’t think of many other riders who can or would even try to do the air wheelies like he does. Or chug beer and ride like he does. Or ride without a front fender like he does. Or enjoy riding a 1998 CR250 like he does. There are many impressive qualities that Uncle Ron has that are very unique… at least like six or nine of them, anyway. Ron may not be what you’d call a “quality individual”, or “of sound personal hygiene,” or at an “average level of intelligence.” He may not speak like a “high school graduate,” or have a “fully functioning liver,” but dammit you’ve got to respect his ability on a bike. Ron is, indeed, on top. 

- PING 

Hey ping!

My question is about the AMA. We all know they are overreaching, with how they limit the rider’s opinions. My biggest gripe is how underpaid these guys are, regardless of the factory bonus. 12k to win a main and I think 120k to win the premier class. If a rider was to win EVERY single main and get the championship, I think they get a little more than a quarter million. That is massively underpaid for motorsports, especially motorsports with this kind of coverage. My question is, is there anything we fans can do to change that? Is the only thing we can do is not show up to races? An organized protest? I also heard they prevent the riders from unionizing. Can the riders do a protest or will the factory guys lose their rides? I think it’s pretty lame that a college STUDENT football player can get more money than a pro on a motocross bike. The careers are shorter than most others and it’s just wrong and, I won’t lie, I feel like I’m contributing to the devil when I purchase SX and MX tickets. 

Dan 

PS thanks for your service as a fireman and thanks for being so cool at the RC taping of the Whiskey Throttle Show. I really hope you can do some more on Thursday or Friday in the future. 

Dan,

You might be misplacing your frustration. The AMA doesn’t own pro motocross or supercross, they simply uphold the rules/timing/scoring/etc. at these events. The purse, what teams are allowed/not allowed to sell, championship bonuses, and any friction about unionizing would be the responsibility of the promoters, Feld and MX Sports. The purse has improved over the years, but it still has a way to go before the riders are getting a reasonable amount of the total monies brought in at these events. The plain truth is that it won’t change, at least not at a reasonable pace, until a rider’s union is formed. There have been several efforts but all of them have failed. Why? Because the promoters know that a rider’s union will cost them money and they thwart the efforts. It would take the right person to make it happen; riders have to respect him, he needs to understand union business, and he has to be willing to be blackballed by the promoters, because he will be. Even this column is likely to furrow some brows, but it’s the truth. Who will be the guy to step up? Still waiting for him/her.

- PING

Mr Ping,

I’m a huge fan; you’re a true legend of our sport!! Thanks especially for all your Dialed in Videos 👌 & your work in the Fire Department. (If in doubt, get the hose out) When I saw the World Fire & Police games were going to be in Holland for 2021, I thought it would be an amazing opportunity for a road trip. Pack up my van & tour across Europe ‘Team Fried’ style & cap it off with some racing at Valkenswaard, or some other world famous circuit for the WFPG.

Unfortunately, as gatedrop are reporting ( http://gatedrop.com/no-motocross-planned-for-2021-world-fire-and-police-games-in-holland/#.XisghySnyEc ) , motocross is not a listed sport.  From watching your recent videos, you still have some serious speed & style. If we can persuade the organizers to add a motocross event, would you come over & race some deep Euro sand?? Maybe with your contacts you could borrow a factory Rockstar Husqvarna or similar for the race. It would be a dream come true to race you! If you’re up for it, how can we make it happen? Could you urge your many contacts to contact the games organizers via the website & request they add motocross? Or maybe you could call your mates Jeffrey Herlings or Luongo? This is a lifetime opportunity for us, we can’t let it pass by!!

Sand loving Euro Cop 

 

Euro Cop,

I’ve always wanted to race on one of those sand tracks in Holland… maybe this is my chance! I’ll put in a call to some of the LAPD guys, as they are usually up to speed with these events. In America, there is a lot of friendly banter between cops and firemen; we call them donut-eating fire academy drop-outs and they call us a bunch of nap-taking hose draggers. The good news is that we all have one thing in common: We all wanted to be firefighters when we were younger. Just ask a cop, they’ll tell you. Kidding aside, this would be super fun. I’ll see what I can find out. 

Cheers and be safe, brother. 

- PING

Do you have a burning question you need answers for? E-mail Ping at ping@vitalmx.com. Want more? Click the @PING tag below to quickly find all the previous columns.

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