I think they could have done something more believable to show that he was a good pilot. Of course, I find it hard to believe any 9 year old, chosen one or not, would be able to a) win a race against several other cut-throat thugs at death-defying speeds, and b) directly cause the destruction of a major battleship in orbit. The fact that he was able to dodge any of the laser bolts coming him was silly. He was supposed to destroy the ship, and his reaction is "oops!"
C'mon....
If Anakin was older, the story would have been so much better.