The reason I was a big fan of his before his accident was how he handled himself while it seemed the entire paddock was slating him. It showed huge character, all the while he never backed away from an interview and attempted to make amends with Pedrosa (which he snubbed). It takes a lot of balls to stand up and admit you're at fault and the way many riders pretty much accused him of doing it on purpose was ridiculous.
His "Sins" were that he was a proper racer, he tried things others didn't and sometimes they didn't come off but it also made him exciting to watch. They were mostly down to being a little enthusiastic and inexperienced. He did a lot of growing up after that spell and ironed out many of the tendencies to have silly accidents without losing any of his pace or excitement.
To me the way he handled himself was what stood out. It would have been so easy to just carry on the way he was and be unprofessional towards the criticism which was fired his way, but he knuckled down and became a better rider because of it.
Posted: 20/07/2012 at 16:46
