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It doesn?t matter if it?s British Superbikes, World Superbikes, MotoGP or any other major race series, for a lot of top riders it really is a family affair. Plenty are either following in the footsteps of their fathers or racing alongside their brothers. Kenny Roberts, Ron Haslam, Wayne Gardner, Niall Mackenzie and Robert Dunlop have all had sons that gone on to become household names in bike racing circles. And contemporary names like Marquez, Espagaro, Lowes and, once again, Mackenzie, could all be referring to one of a pair of bike racing brothers. So as far as nature or nurture goes, there can be only one explanation; bike racing surely is in their blood. Or is it" Upon reflection, I think there might be a little bit more to it than that.
Those of us who paid attention at school will no doubt be well aware of Charles Darwin?s theory of evolution by natural selection, but I know there are plenty of you that didn?t even bother turning up half of the time, never mind paying attention. So let?s have a little recap. Darwin said that over countless generations, a species will either adapt to better suit its surroundings or become extinct.

This works because every creature, whether it?s a single cell organism, or a mighty buffalo, is more likely to pass on its genetic code the ?fitter? it is. Take giraffes, for example. They didn?t always have long necks. But the giraffe with the slightly longer neck could reach the leaves higher than the rest. That...