#the extreme emotional damage you can wreak if you're a bit too friendly to a seventeen year old. careful valentino careful

[batsplat]

Even as Stoner progressed through the ranks and his reputation spread, he was forced to live a frugal life. ‘The Stoners had it hard like you wouldn’t believe, Davies said. “They rented a motorhome with a double bed at the back and two singles up front. Our parents would stay in that. Me and Casey lived in a little trailer stuck on the back. There was one bunk bed attached to the wall. No air conditioning. It was cramped and smelt like a dog’s dinner. We had a crackly TV set with a PlayStation and that was it. Matt wanted to come and do a feature on it, but Casey’s mum wouldn’t let him; she was too embarrassed.’ They shared the same paddock as Rossi and Biaggi but they inhabited a different world. ‘We looked up to Rossi. He was always nice. When we had our chins on the floor he would say things to us to cheer us up. Biaggi was different. The thing that really used to piss us off about him was he would ride his scooter around the paddock flat out, barging people out of the way. He did not have a lot of respect for anyone and so no one had much for him.’

From Broadbent's Ring of Fire