Bottom post of the previous page:
Germany is not the Nation that one thinks of as one of the great nations of Motorcycle racing, not from a riders point of view anyway. Actually, I think that Bradl has become I think only the 7th German to take out a Motorcycle World title of any engine size/class..The first ever German Motorcycle Champion was Werner Haas, who won both the 125cc and 250cc Titles in 1953, and the 1954 250cc title. He was to die in a light plane crash in Germany 2 years later.
German Motorcycle World Title Holders:
Werner Haas - 1950's: 3 titles (2x250cc, 1x125cc)
Ernst Degner - 1962: 1 title (50cc) *
Hans Georg Anscheidt(1966-68) : 3 titles (all 50cc)
Dieter Braun (1970-73): 2 titles (1 each 125cc & 250cc)
Anton Mang - 1980's: 5 titles (2x350cc, 3x250cc)
Dirk Raudies - 1993 1 title (125cc)
Plus of course Bradl at Moto2 level this year
As has been pointed out, no German has ever won a 500cc (or big class) Championship. All German ridden titles have been in the secondary or intermediate and smaller engine classes. (ie. 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and 50cc)
In fact, although only the 'intermediate' category of the MotoGP set up now, at 600cc for the current Moto2 over the previous 250 and 350cc, Bradl has become the German to have won the largest engine size for any German to date.
Anton Mang previously held that (German rider to win largest engine size title) honour of the Champion in the , having won two of the old 350cc class titles. Mang did win both the 250cc and 350cc titles in 1981. He also won the 350cc title in 1982, making him the last ever 350cc World Champion. (1982 was the final year of the 350cc class.)
* East German Ernst Degner 'coulda shoulda woulda' won the 1961 world 125cc title on an MZ, but put his family first when he smuggled them out of the GDR in 'the boot' of a car, as he was bound for the Swedish GP. He suffered an engine failure in the race, but was able to defect immediately after the race. The 'East' Germany based MZ then accused him of deliberately blowing the engine up (despite the fact he stood to win the world title) as part of his plan and had his racing licence suspended, throwing a spanner in his plan to ride a borrowed bike in the final 125cc World Championship round in Argentina to a hopeful 125cc World Championship Title win. (He was I think leading the title by 6 points prior to the Argentina race Degner's DNS in Argentina gave an opportunity for Australian Tom Phillis, (6 points behind Degner prior to the final race) to win the title. Phillis indeed won the Argentina race, scoring 8 points..... enabling him to take the 1961 125cc title by just 2 points.
So Degner, fired from MZ over his defection, joined Suzuki pretty well immediately, moved to Japan, designed their 1962 engines, utilising his MZ 2 stroke knowledge, and in 1962 rode the 50cc Szuki to win his (and Suzuki's first ever) World Title.
He is also the Degner that gave the name to the famed Degner Curves at Suzuka, following his crash there on a Suzuki 250cc at the following year's Japanese GP. The fuel tank ignited in the crash, leaving Degner so badly burnt that he had more than 50 skin graft operations. Although he did ride again briefly that accident was in effect a career ender.
Phillis was, sadly, to be killed on the IoM in 1962. (Ironically Gary Hocking, 1961 350cc & 500cc World title winner on an MV, and best friend of Phillis, was so badly affected by his mate's death, that he retired from motorcycle racing immediately due to the dangers of bike racing.
Hocking had decided to go car racing, which he believed to be safer, ..... sadly Hocking was killed the same year, 1962, in practice for what was to be his first ever car GP, his local South African GP.
Oops, I am wandering off topic.....
Not doing too well with him, having left him off the initial list of champions, and then even then missing part of his name. At least I said nice things about him. 
