Hello, good evening and welcome to the 2013 Bikesport News Awards. We have never done this before, so bear with us. This is not a serious ceremony, just a bit of a giggle. So here were are:
International Rider of the Year
Goes to Marc Marquez. If you need to know why, then you’ve clearly had your head in a bucket for the past nine months.
Brits Abroad Rider of the Year
Goes to Tom Sykes. See above.
Domestic Rider of the Year
Goes to Alex Lowes for pushing old stager Shane Byrne all the way and then nipping the 2013 BSB title out from under his nose with a combination of hard riding and never-say-die tactics.
Support Class Rider of the Year
Goes to Stuart Easton for coming back from horrendous injuries to win the British Supersport title.
Emerging Talent of the Year
Goes to Jake Dixon for showing flashes of brilliance in Supersport only to succumb to a lack of funds and a knackered scaphoid. Reminds us of a young Leon Camier…
Team of the Year
Goes to Samsung Honda for dealing with the rollercoaster ride that is Ryuichi Kiyonari while
steering Alex Lowes to the BSB title.
Roads Rider of the Year
Goes to Michael Dunlop for his momentous four-in-a-week at the TT against an in-form John McGuinness.
Most Improved Roads Rider of the Year
Goes to James Hillier for winning the Lightweight TT and hanging on to McGuinness to set his own
131mph laps on Mona’s Isle.
Clubman of the Year
Goes to Jim Hodgson for dominating Darley and Aintree. Again. Could also win the ‘Shouldn’t You Know Better
At Your Age?’ Award.
Young Clubman of the Year
Goes to David Allingham for winning the Thundersport RRV450, 650 Open and Supertwin championships. Show off.
Commentary Team of the Year
Goes to Whitham and Burnicle. OK, so they make a lot of mistakes but you try doing that for seven hours straight. Awarded for sheer entertainment value.
‘It’s Only A Flesh Wound’ Award
Goes to Ian Hutchinson for his unbelievable comeback from injury and a squillion operations to win at Macau.
‘Cole Trickle’ Award
Goes to Alex Lowes for not really knowing the finer points of how a motorcycle works but riding the cock off
the thing anyway.
‘God Loves A Trier’ Award
Goes to Tommy Bridewell for finally getting the factory-backed ride he wanted for so long and then proving
he was right all along.
‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ Award
Goes to Wilf and the Moto Rapido Ducati team for getting the Panigale into the BSB top ten this year against seemingly insurmountable odds. Due to announce Thresher’s as 2014 title sponsor.
'It Wasn’t Me’ Award
Goes to Josh Brookes for racing in the Vets MX of Nations at Farleigh Castle without telling anyone in
his Tyco Suzuki team.
‘Podium Handbags’ Award
Goes to the Reeves and Birchall brothers for their little contre-temps at Silverstone…
‘I’ve Still Got It’ Award
Goes to Valentino Rossi for changing absolutely everything in an attempt to deflect the fact that age is,
indeed, a limiting factor…
Special Mention
Norma de Bidaph battled serious illness in 2013 and still managed to marshal the Gearlink Kawasaki team into Supersport contention, before narrowly missing out on the title. For this, she should be roundly applauded.
