Chaz Davies, 2012 SPEED.com Motorcycle Racing Rookie of the Year (Photo: chazdavies.com)

Davies' chances also seemed to be muted by the fact that he was ascending alongside the ParkinGO squad with whom he won the WSS crown rather than with an established World Superbike contender. Similar to riders, WSS teams have a mixed record in their attempts to move up a weight class; for every ten Kate there are dozens that find themselves stuck at the back of the pack, slink back to Supersport, or dematerialize altogether -- and this transition would be further complicated by a shift from Yamahas to Aprilias.

However, despite the long odds, Davies demonstrated his quality in 2012, scoring four podiums, including a maiden victory as a World Superbike rookie, in what can only be described as a breakthrough season.

Davies' '12 did wonders for his already-rising reputation and was rewarded with what has become one of the most coveted seats in two-wheeled motorsport -- a ride with the works BMW Motorrad outfit -- for 2013.

Also Deserving Of Consideration

Stefan Bradl proved to be a quick learner and hard worker in his MotoGP debut campaign. The '11 Moto2 champ narrowly missed claiming a podium in his first season but racked up multiple top-five finishes, showed the ability to push the best of the rest to the edge, and earned himself HRC equipment for 2013.

Josh Herrin made his long-awaited big bike debut didn't disappoint. While unable to steal away a win with teammate Josh Hayes marching to a third-straight AMA Pro Superbike title, Herrin did manage to notch up ten podium results and finished fourth in the points despite ending the season on the shelf.

Marvin Musquin, Broc Tickle, and Justin Bogle all flashed big-time potential during their respective Supercross/motorcross rookie campaigns in 2012.

SPEED.com Motorcycle Racing Editor Chris Martin saw Eddie Lawson win aboard a Kawasaki the first time he attended an AMA Superbike race and witnessed Ben Bostrom win a World Superbike race aboard a V&H Ducati the first time he worked one. He has written about AMA SBK, WSBK, and MotoGP for SPEED.com since 2003. Chris is now on Twitter.