SBK Magny-Cours | Page 42

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But his vocabulary is very low , so he comes across very abrupt . He ’ s a very Gloucester bloke . I couldn ’ t go for a formal meal with him and sponsors . There ’ s just some people that can ’ t do it . He ’ s like a farm , motocross type of guy . Doesn ’ t give a f ** k if you own a company or you own a burger wagon or you own nothing . You ’ re all treated the same . Which I appreciate , but there ’ s levels . Sometimes I ’ ve been in situations where I ’ m going , no , ‘ don ’ t say that , don ’ t do this .’ But his heart is in the right place . He ’ s done a lot for me . I have to credit him . If it wasn ’ t for him , as well as my dad giving me this opportunity as a kid , I wouldn ’ t be where I am today . I have to let a lot of people know that . He was the one that was getting me from the skate park when I tried to sneak out and dragging me back , staying there to train when my dad was at work - when I thought I could get away with it - but I couldn ’ t . They ’ re the things that I appreciate now . I hated it when I was a kid . I used to cry quite regularly . Most race weekends I would cry of frustration and not wanting to do it , but now I ’ m grateful that they pushed me through that . A lot of people would disagree , but that ’ s why maybe their kid ’ s working in a supermarket and I ’ m able to make a career of my life . It ’ s hard , but that ’ s the reality of it .” Unlike some - many really - in race paddocks all over the world , Redding is not the son of a roadracer . It was off road for his dad , and not as a pro . “ My dad was a good motocross rider , but he had no money ,” explained Redding . “ He was a good local rider . He was good . My uncle had all the kit and no idea . So , it was two opposite ends of the spectrum .” In his adult life , Redding has been around a lot , seen a lot , and had experiences even the cleverest of his occasional class mates could only dream about from their more conventional existences . Or maybe the pressure and attention of being a big-time bike racer would be , in its full reality , a nightmare to them . Who knows except him , but Redding will maybe always be that boy from the South West of England inside and outside . He speaks like a farm hand and values money like somebody who never grew up with a surfeit of it . “ Since I met Jacey and went to California , I couldn ’ t deal with it ,” said Redding after exposure to a very different way of life . “ t . Kids 16 , 17 driving around in brand-new BMWs and Mustangs and they ’ ve all got rich parents . It aggravated me . You ( he means they ) don ’ t realise the value of money . I know from the other side of the water , my dad is working from 5AM to 9PM fitting windows or driving , getting for the work he does not really a good pay , but he ’ s working every day . So , I had that built into me and then seeing all these people that are just having a cool life spending $ 500 on shoes and $ 400 on a hoodie . I ’ m thinking , “ what the f ** k is wrong with you ?” Then I get used to it and I was okay , but in the beginning I struggled . Because that ’ s normal for them , but it ’ s not normal for me . So , in the racing , we never had money to pay to go to a team . We never had that funding , for as long as I can remember . So it was always about talent and work . I got pushed very hard as a
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