One of the highlights over on our dirt bike website MotoOnline.com.au is the annual Moto Awards to cap off every season, and for 2013, the good news is that we’re launching the Cycle Awards to reflect on the year that was.

For entertainment purposes only, we pieced together via what we witnessed during the year both Australia and abroad. And for those with a good memory, you’ll recall we did road versions of the awards feature back when our road and dirt sites were combined in 2009/2010. They’re back!

Source: Suzuki Australia.

National Rider of the Year – Wayne Maxwell

More than a decade following his Australian Superbike debut, Wayne Maxwell (pictured above) clinched his first career ASBK title on debut with Team Suzuki in 2013. After a steady start, Maxwell made massive headway mid-season on his way to the title, delivering a second straight championship for the Phil Tainton Racing team aboard the well-refined GSX-R1000.

International Rider of the Year – Marc Marquez

After a record-breaking run on his way to the MotoGP World Championship, this was pretty much the easiest award of all (apart from the Rookie Award!) to nominate for Marquez (pictured below). The question is, can he back it up in 2014? Many of the experts say yes, which we have no reason to doubt. What a rider!

Rookie of the Year – Marc Marquez

Not only was Marquez the world champion, but he became the youngest ever MotoGP title winner and was the first rookie since Kenny Roberts to capture the crown in 1978.

Race Series of the Year – MotoGP World Championship

No surprise here, the MotoGP series was spectacular and intriguing in 2013 thanks to the all-Spanish rivalry between Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. Plus, it was pretty neat seeing Valentino Rossi back on a Yamaha, eh?

Most Anticipated Model – 2014 Honda CBR1000RR SP

Anytime a manufacturer releases a special edition, enthusiasts are eager to see how the upgrades are both on road and the race track. Well, the CBR1000RR SP has plenty of updates, which should spice up the bike that was first released in 2008.

Top Team – Yamaha Racing Team

They may be racing in the Australian FX-Superbike Championship due to political reasons away from Suzuki and Honda’s factory efforts, but Yamaha Motor Australia’s dedication to road racing is unquestioned. Fielding up to seven entries across three classes on occasion in 2013, Broc Parkes and Rick Olson rewarded YRT with a couple of hard-earned titles in a true inner-team battle. Would they beat Team Suzuki and the ASBK stars head-to-head? Probably not right now, but you have to commend their commitment fielding four factory racers.

Best Event – Valencia MotoGP final

With the MotoGP and Moto3 titles going down to the wire for the first time in a very long time at Valencia, all eyes were on race day as Marc Marquez swept to the title in a cracking premier class race. Yep, there were lots of great events – Josh Brookes debuting at the Isle of Man, anyone? – but the history that went down at Valencia couldn’t be overlooked.

Source: MotoGP.

Hottest Topic – Domestic superbikes

The Australian Superbike Championship has been making headlines (well, for those media outlets that still care) for all the wrong reasons in the latter stages of this year, following an on again, off again, potential merger with the Australasian Superbike Championship (formerly FX-Superbikes). Mention it on Facebook and you’re bound to get a few bites, but the reality is, we need a united approach nationally on a professional level regardless of the promoter if the sport is going to prosper. Fingers crossed for a finer next season.

Greatest Disappointment – Phillip Island 2+4

Following what looked like a mismanagement on promoter International Entertainment Group’s behalf, what could and should have been a great event to cap off 2013 became a disaster. On the biggest motorsport platform in Australia alongside the V8 Supercars, just six riders turned up Friday before an announcement of free entries on Saturday got a few extra state level participants in the mix for the weekend. What could have been…

Most Surprising Moment – HRC’s PI blunder

It’s not often that the Honda Racing Corporation will make major errors in front of live audiences, but that’s exactly what happened at Phillip Island when Marc Marquez pitted a lap too late under strict safety regulations due to tyre degradation. The rest is history, but nobody could have predicted what would have happened that weekend in Victoria.

Social Standout – Daniel Falzon/Jon Daniels Racing

The Australian Supersport Championship winner and his team were on the ball all year long when it comes to social media strategy, keeping fans and sponsors updated every step of the season. Of course many in Australian road racing are very, very good at this (too many to mention), but you have to admire the professionalism of the Falzons – class acts!

Special Mention – Broc Parkes, Glenn Allerton, Matt Walters and Glenn Scott

Yep, we couldn’t leave it at just one special mention for this year. Parkes was crowned AFX-SBK champion in his first year back home for over a decade, Allerton stunned with his form on the unproven Pirellis in ASBK early on and went on to win the ARRC event, Matt Walters won both the ASBK Prostock and ASC titles, and Scott won the ASBK privateer series as a rookie in another standout performance.