PRev: First of all, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us!
Ping: No problem. It's good to hear from you.

PRev: What is going on these days? Give us a day in the life of David Pingree.
Ping: Well, my life has been pretty hectic the last couple months. My wife and I just had our first child on January 2nd. She's a beautiful little thing (we named her Ellie Lou Pingree), but man is she a lot of work. I've always heard that it's tough and it changes your life but I had no idea. I should write a book about it. 

PRev: So how are things going with RacerX?
Ping: Things are going well. The people I work with are all amazing in their own way and I'm actually really happy to be a part of this magazine. It's something I am proud of.

PRev: Other than working for the magazine, what else occupies your time: both at and away from the track?
Ping: Lately, my little girl and her filthy diapers have been all-consuming, but outside of that I have a lot of things going on as well. I am planning on racing the AMA supermoto series again. KTM is putting a great program together for me there. I also ride (motocross) quite a bit still and race the occasional event. I race mini bikes a little bit; I've done some hillclimbing and even some road racing lately. There is always something work-related that I can get into. The time outside of work is mostly spent with my wife and family. We have a great church in Temecula and we spend Sundays there and usually have lunch afterwards with family and friends. 

PRev: This is the first time we have really had the opportunity to talk; however, over the years I have read a few interviews and articles where you talk about your faith. Do you mind sharing a little about your walk with the Lord?
Ping: Not at all. I was teammates with Greg Albertyn in 1999 and there is something about Greg that is very infectious. He is perpetually smiling and upbeat. It can almost be annoying at times. But I was struggling in life at the time and searching for something. I didn't know what at the time. I think anyone who has come to know Christ can relate to my story. So, after a national in Binghampton that year where Greg and I both had bad days, he was smiling and laughing and I was mad, depressed and deflated. I asked him how he could be so happy after the day we just had and he started telling me about Jesus. I listened but a lot of what he was saying sounded so strange at the time. He invited me to a bible study he was having at his house every week and I started going to that. Months later I met my wife, who was a strong Christian, and it seemed like God just started steering things for me. 

Since then things have been up and down, as life always is, but knowing Jesus keeps me level through good and bad times.

PRev: How have you been able to balance motocross with your spiritual life; both as a rider and person working within the industry?
Ping: That is difficult to do. The bible says that iron sharpens iron, meaning we should spend time with other Christians to build our faith. But we are also called to show other people what a godly life looks like. It can be challenging to have a positive effect on others and not let them negatively effect you. My wife can see changes in me when I've been around industry people who don't know the lord too much. She keeps me centered. She is awesome. As a rider, I had more peace and confidence once I got to know the lord than I ever did before. I trusted that my life was in his hands and that if I did my best and trusted in him that my life would work out just as it was supposed to. I knew that he had a plan for me to prosper and not to be harmed.

PRev: Do you think people in the motocross industry view Christians and Christianity as a whole any different than people in other fields?
Ping: I don't think so. I think people that are searching and open will hear the message and respond to it and those that aren't will not pay any attention to it. Before i was ready to hear the message I paid absolutely no attention to it. Even though I'm sure someone tried to share the gospel with me when I was younger I don't even remember them trying. If you aren't ready to hear it you won't hear it. I think the misconception that people have about christians is that we think we're perfect. Man, that's far from true. We realize that we are not perfect and that we need God's grace. But as soon as a non-Christian sees a Christian slip up, he makes a big deal out of it. That is the same regardless of the arena.

PRev: Over the past few months I have seen a lot of debate on message boards about the whole church/prayer issue at the race track. What do you think about Christian organizations like MRO, MXers for Jesus, Steve Hudson, and PanicRev bringing Christian services to a track/racing atmosphere?
Ping: I think it's awesome and I can't imagine who would think otherwise. Steve Hudson was a big factor in my coming to Christ. He was the guy that lead Albee's bible study when I went for the first time. He got me my first bible and showed me what to start reading. I avoid the message boards like the plague but it is probably some left-wing, liberal nut causing all the commotion.

PRev: So have you been able to ride or race much lately?
Ping: The last event I did was a national hillclimb; what an experience! I have a WORCS race in Lake Havasu coming up and maybe a race in England after that. Like I said; there's no shortage of work-related races for me.

PRev: Last year there were a number of retired racers that made an appearance at the Loretta Lynn Amateur National; when are we going to see you out there (SMILE)?
Ping: I would love to go and I think if I don't go this year I will definitely make it next year. I'm not going to go all the way to Tennessee to spectate though. If I go I'm bringing my bikes and making a run at the 30plus class.

PRev: Speaking of Amateur Nationals, what is your take on the direction amateur racing is going?
Ping: I think that there's an aspect to it that isn't good. Some families have fun with it and use it as a tool to show their kids the skill sets they'll need to succeed in life: hard work, determination, confidence, etc. But these families that pull their kids out of school in sixth grade to travel around the country racing motorcycles in hopes that Jr. will one day be the next Ricky Carmichael are hurting their kids. I think that is a shame. 

PRev: Well David, thanks again for taking the time to do this interview. Is there anything else you would like to ad?
Ping: Thanks to the sponsors that have stuck with me; Troy Lee Designs, Dragon, Alpinestars, Etnies, Red Baron Racing, Cytomax, Maxima, Pro Circuit and Renthal. Also, to those who are Christians, keep your eyes on the big picture. There are a lot of distractions and temptations out there but they will always let you down in the long run. God never does.