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hat defines a hero? According to the English dictionary, a hero is an illustrious warrior who shows great courage in times of impending doom. Fabio Quartararo’s title winning charge against the Ducatis in the 2021 MotoGP season was nothing short of heroic. However, there is one thing they don’t tell you while growing up. Heroes often fail. They need to fail in order for that eventual triumphant moment to be that much more euphoric. In this tale, our hero also experienced his fair share of failure. For one to truly understand the sheer magnitude of the 22-year-old’s ultimate achievement, a brief recap of the season prior is imperative.
Despair. Anguish. Pain. Frustration. All of these are words that aptly describe the emotions Fabio Quartararo went through at the end of 2020. Despite mounting a stellar challenge for the title in the first half of the 2020 season, the Frenchman’s chances fell into an abyss towards the latter half. Although he won three races, the most of any rider that year, which in itself was a testament to how crazy that season was, the Yamaha rider lacked consistency in his form. This was his inevitable downfall. Tipped as the favourite or at the very least, contender for the title, he ended the season an extremely disappointing 8th in the world championship standings.