@PING 1

Ping tackles a list of his favorite things, Ralph and Ricky, and who he'd most like to interview.

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

Hey Ping Ding,

Let’s switch it up a bit and ask random stuff for @Ping:
All-time favorite set of riding gear (with pics)
All-time favorite national number you had
All-time favorite helmet you ran
All-time favorite 2-stroke and 4-stroke
Best SX after party ever….
1, 2, 3, go.
BTsmith27


BTsmith27,
Hey, machine gun style… I like it. Favorite gear has to be the TLD Adidas collaboration; it’s clean, comfortable and limited edition. But I think my favorite changes every time something new comes out. My favorite national number was 90 and I had it in 1994. I was a Suzuki support rider and had a blast traveling around the country in my box van with my mechanic Randy Lawrence. My favorite helmet is the TLD SE5 that I’ve been testing. I can’t say much about it, other than it is the best helmet I’ve ever worn. Best two-stroke I’ve ever had was my 2000 Primal Impulse Suzuki. That bike did everything really well and fit me like a glove. My favorite four-stroke is probably my current YZ250F. Pro Circuit built the motor and dialed in the suspension for our next Race Shop Build here at Vital MX. It’s the coolest looking and best working 250F I can remember riding. Best SX after party? After the Phoenix supercross in 1999 I went out with some of my buddies who lived there. I’m not going to share specifics, but I woke up the next morning naked on my buddy’s couch and the last thing I remember was throwing a pool ball across the room, if that gives you some indication of how quickly things escalated.
Cheers!
- PING


Ping,
You obviously know a lot of people in the sport… can you please take the Feld producer, Ralph, and RC out for a beer and be honest with them; they really don’t need to introduce the sport of SX to noobies every Saturday night. I’m pretty sure there are not many. During the mains, can they please just call the race? No features, no behind the scenes crap, just focus on the race. Thank you!
Kijen

Kijen,
Look, I know the Science of Supercross can often make watching paint dry look like the world cock fighting championships in a poorly-lit Vietnamese basement. Makeup to Mud? Again, I’d be more interested in an update on the status of that newly painted wall. But the part you’re missing is that there is quite a bit of down time at a supercross race. When you’re there in person you don’t notice it as much because you’re too busy navigating the sea of humanity to get to the beer line. And once you’ve shelled out the stack of bills to cover the beers, your mind is consumed with how you’re going to make the following month’s rent. Between track maintenance and filling the time in-between opening ceremonies at the live event, there is a hefty chunk of time to fill. Having said that, I’d like to see more interviews with riders/mechanics/managers about the racers and their stories than hearing some of the drivel that fills the void. I do agree with you about commentating like this is the first time any viewer has ever seen a supercross race; they don’t do that at a football game or a NASCAR race, why do we feel like we have to explain it like our audience is a bunch of ten-year-olds? I will add that RC is doing a great job this year and the racing has been spectacular, so I don’t have much to complain about. This is, however, the internet so we don’t need a reason to complain… just open your computer, harness your internal disappointment and let it fly! That was sarcasm, by the way.
- PING 


Ping,
Big fan of your work over the years, especially the Whiskey Throttle show. That has been my nightly entertainment on YouTube for the past year. My question is about the show: How difficult is it to get guests to come on? Is there anybody you’ve wanted to have on that wouldn’t do it? Who is the one guy you want to interview the most?
Thanks, Ping!
Dirk

Dirk,
Thanks for the support, man. You know, it hasn’t been as difficult as I thought it would be. Of course, there are some guys who are more difficult to schedule than others, but it’s getting to the point that folks in the industry are asking us to come on the show. I was really excited to have Malcolm Smith on, and he agreed to do it, but then he cancelled at the last minute due to health issues. We’ve since tried to reschedule and, in his words, he doesn’t want people to remember him as a feeble old man. I completely get his position, but he is such a legend I would have loved to tell his story. 

Another guy I’ve been reaching out to for almost a year now is Mark Barnett. I’ve always been intrigued by “The Bomber,” mostly because you don’t see or hear much from him. I guess the reason you don’t is that he doesn’t want people to hear from him. Until he tells me to go pound sand, I’ll keep trying. Mike Healey has been elusive as well. 

As far as my most-wanted list, Bob Hannah, Jeremy McGrath, Wardy, Johnny O’, Glover, Pastrana, Ricky Fowler, Lance Armstrong and Jimmy Johnson are at the top. The good news is, I think there’s a good chance we can get all of them on the show. Stay tuned.
- 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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