We tend to get worked up around here over things like "the race card" and "code words" and "dog whistles" as things that signal racism.

So it is instructive to remember that while this country still has far to go to banish racism, it could be worse -- a lot worse. Some places don't bother trying to disguise racism.

We could live in Spain, for instance, where this past weekend a group of auto racing fans gave the entire country a bad name by hurling the most vile racial insults imaginable at a young man named Lewis Hamilton.

I'd just like to flag up two British sporting heroes who were in the news this weekend. Both in their own ways are inspirations. One is comparatively little known outside Britain or their own specialist field, the other is becoming successful and should be known worldwide, perhaps even gaining a championship this year.