The best motorcycle racing nation in the world.

Anyone watch Pointless on BBC?  Whoever thought that up was a genius.  Quick side bar for those that have no idea what I'm on about, those that do, skip to next paragraph.  A teatime quiz show where you have to get the answer to a question the least number did in a survey of a hundred people before the show.  The ultimate aim to get to the last round and get a Pointless answer - i.e. a correct answer but one that none of the 100 people surveyed did.  Brilliant.  Recently I'd have won the jackpot with my ability to recognised T-Bone Walker in a set of five guitarists and knowing there is a George Washington Bridge in New York.  Pointless - so well named on a more than one front... subtle.

To the point(less) in question.   If I was to ask the 100 people "The most successful motorcycle racing nation in the world in 2013".   I would suspect the highest number of people would say "Spain" as we watch Lorenzo, Marquez, and Pedrosa slogging it out (sometimes literally) on the global glory stage that is MotoGP - the blue ribboned motorcycling series.

However I contest M'Lud that the answer is the UK.  World Superbike Champion this year after missing out last year by only 1/2 point is Tom Sykes - lovable Yorkshireman who has simply ridden his heart out this year on a bike that probably shouldn't have a champ on top of it - no disrespect to Kawasaki but no other rider is close to Tom on that machinery, Aprilia, BMW they are the two teams that looked likely to prevail with all their riders normally near the front but annoyingly there was Tom continually banging in results on the green Ninja.

World Supersport champion (feeder series to World Superbikes) - Sam Lowes a young guy from Lincolnshire, and in another odd twist that will be a Question of Sport question one day no doubt - his twin brother, Alex, won the British Superbike championship this year too!

Now I was going to hang off writing this in the hope that Scott Redding would win the Moto2 crown (feeder series to MotoGP) but sadly Scott fell off at Philip Island last week in a cross wind and broke his wrist so has fallen off the lead of that championship.  Shame.  He may get back and beat Pol Espargaro to the title yet which would be a great result and would seal it for the UK to claim to be the best on two wheels.