@PING 6

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Hey Ping,

First and foremost, huge fan. Love the work you are doing on all fronts! I can't be the only one asking this question, but what do you think is the real deal with Dungey pulling out of GEICO Honda? Seems really abrupt! Surely, you have some insight into this beyond what has been shared with us at this point. Also, sad to hear about the struggles in getting Malcom Smith on the WTS, I feel like he would have one hell of a story to share! My top 3 on who I think would be awesome to see: Jeremy McGrath, Denny Stephenson & Jason Lawrence.
Signed,
JC

JC,

It was an abrupt departure, but I don’t think the truth will find its way out for quite a while. Ryan is a pro and he has many ties to the owners of the team; he isn’t going to share the dirt, if there is any, and neither are they. It’s a bummer it didn’t work out, because I think Ryan is a huge asset to the sport. Hopefully he finds his next calling and it’s in the dirt bike word. The issues with Malcolm are a bummer, but it’s completely understandable. He doesn’t want to be remembered as a frail, old man. The travesty is that his whole story was never really told, and now it never will be. Malcolm had a massive impact on motorcycling in the 1970’s, maybe more so than any other rider ever. I guess we’ll just have to take what we can from On Any Sunday.
- PING

Ping,

How does this supercross championship play out? Is there a scenario where they just call it a season and Eli wins by default? Has anything like this ever happened before? I have tickets to the finale in Salt Lake and I’m wondering if I should hang on to them or start working on a refund. Thanks!
Chris B.

Chris,

I’m not sure how this will play out, to be honest. Nothing like this has ever happened before in supercross. There was the infamous 2003 national motocross championship that was ended prematurely when the Troy, Ohio round of the series was rescheduled and then cancelled due to rain (the track was literally underwater). My buddy GL got the best phone call of his life from Davey Coombs telling him he was champion, much to the chagrin of Ryan Hughes, who was second in the series. And then there was the Hangtown swamp buggy race in 1991 where they cancelled the second motos for safety reasons. Apart from those events, I can’t remember a national or supercross being cancelled. 

Here’s what you don’t need to do: Freak the hell out. Why, in the name of all that is holy, are people stockpiling toilet paper? Those of us who just need a regular restock of butt wipe are having to resort to socks that have lost their partners, magazine pages, and printer paper to clean off our rear ends. I’m one ankle sock away from having to scoot my ass along our door rug like a dog after my morning coffee, and that’s not okay. Here’s a fact that may help… Covid 19 isn’t going to hurt you unless you are elderly, obese, a smoker, or you have a compromised immune system. So, if you’re a healthy child or adult, or an adult that acts like a child (talking to you, Randy Richardson), just calm down, wash your hands, and keep on living your life. 

Is Eli Tomac the de facto champion of this series? I honestly believe that they will find a way to run at least a couple more rounds of this series; Vegas and Salt Lake seem likely. By that point the spread could have slowed and common sense will overcome the hysteria. I’d hold onto your tickets for now. If they do decide to call it a year, Eli will get the title, but it will come with a very odd asterisk.
- PING

Hey pinginator,

So, I have been to about 16 supercross events, starting at age 4. Growing up in Prescott, AZ, Bank One ballpark is where I went for the first 14 (2000-2014) (I refuse to call it chase field). Haven't been to Glendale since it moved there. Now, I live in Huntsville, Alabama. I went to Daytona last year, and this year I went to Tampa and will do Daytona again. I am wanting to possibly add one more race this year, and want your insight to where would be worth flying to? My wife will be joining me for this one (she caught the bug at Atlanta from that sick 450 main). So, which venue do you think would be best for flying in, plus having decent hotel/restaurant options near the stadium? She loved that we could walk to everything in Atlanta so I'm trying to keep her loving the SX weekend experience. 
Thanks for not being too "cool" for the average Joes,
"The most average joe"

Joe,

My suggestion at this point is to look ahead to the 2021 supercross series. The rest of this year’s series is up in the air and, although you could probably get flights and a hotel for the cost of a pack of gum, the rest of the rounds are a big question mark. I’d highly recommend San Diego next year, or the Anaheim opener. San Diego is cool because you can Uber from the airport to downtown, stay at a nice hotel right next to the stadium, and walk around the gas lamp district before or after the race; it’s a really cool city vibe, and it sounds like your wife would be into that. Anaheim is always fun because of the added excitement and uncertainty of the first round. I think I would add Las Vegas to that list once it moves to the new stadium. The current stadium is a pile and its way out of town near Henderson, making it a chore to get to and from the strip.
Good luck and make sure you keep that lady happy… wives like that are hard to find.
Cheers
- PING

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