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Ping-

Assuming we can ever get back to a regular season, what are your thoughts on awarding an east/west top privateer in the National series? Might give some of these guys that can’t travel across country an opportunity for more exposure. Give a $100 gas card or something, nothing major. I look forward to your ridicule!

Nealb129

Nealb,

Ridicule? That’s reserved for folks who are a special kind of stupid… or good friends of mine. You actually have a great idea here. While I wouldn’t support splitting the series into an east/west, this would simply acknowledge the riders from either coast who perform well overall in the series. Maybe you could throw them some gas money or even some product from series sponsors? I think the best part of this would be the publicity that they would receive. At that level, any exposure helps and this could be great for them while they build their careers. If MX Sports doesn’t pick this up, maybe I can get some industry folks together and make it happen. 

- PING

Ping,

Adding on from the question last week about the supercross announcing team: I don’t know if there will ever be a team that EVERYBODY likes. We can’t agree about anything anymore. So, what about more options? Have you and GL ever thought about doing a live broadcast yourselves that could be attached to the Whiskey Throttle Show? Might be cool. Thanks in advance for answering!

Marty G

Marty,

Funny enough, we almost did that this year. We were going to try out a Race Companion stream that you could play over the top of the broadcast for the 3 rounds of the Triple Crown. It would be an extension of the show, and GL and I would announce a race the way most moto fans would like to hear it… bullshit free! Our plan was to get started cocktailing long before the show so we came in hot, and a little buzzed. I’d probably try to maintain lucidity while GL just kept grabbing gears until the last lap of the 450 main event. We’d probably lose money in the venture [vodka isn’t cheap], but I think it might be worth it. If you’re not familiar with the concept, you basically sync up the stream with your TV broadcast and then turn the TV volume off and listen to our audio. We’d be calling the action for you without keys to the race, science of supercross, makeup to muck, or any of the other distractions. We’re still about it… stay tuned in 2021.

- PING

Ping,

Not sure if you saw the Vital thread about the Ten Commandments being called the Ten Pack at the second round at Loretta’s. I realize this isn’t the biggest issue in the world, but I’m so sick of the PC culture consuming everything! If it’s no big deal, why change it? Just wondering what your thoughts are.

Not PC Pete

Pete,

I wasn’t sure if this was politically motivated or not. Remember, they changed the name of LaRocco’s Leap to The Parking Lot Jump [very creative] at Red Bud, and that has zero political affiliation or level of incorrectness or cultural appropriation. But this shouldn’t really come as a surprise at this point. Your kids don’t sit Indian style anymore… it’s crisscross applesauce. Safe spaces for college students are now a thing. Regular-sized chairs are considered a micro-aggression for obese people. Student unions have tried to ban clapping and cheering because it isn’t inclusive for deaf people. And a Seattle councilman, in all his wisdom, expressed his concern about hosing down feces-covered sidewalks in the homeless areas of town being culturally insensitive. These are weird times, my man. 

It sounds like the broadcast team was told by NBC to make the change to avoid any political fallout in the overly-sensitive political climate we’re currently in. I get it; I wouldn’t want to deal with a bunch of emails because an atheist in New York got offended by the name of some dirt mounds in a Tennessee field. This is a small thing, and although many small things are beginning to add up, let’s just focus on the racing and try to ignore these distractions as they pop up. And, in place of the Ten Commandments, let’s all put our hands together and pray for a weekend that isn’t flooded with rain so we can actually watch some real racing. Amen.

- 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.