Round three of the 13-round World Superbike championship takes place at the birthplace of World Superbike racing itself - Donington Park in Great Britain. The 4km circuit, located in the heart of England, was the venue for the first ever World Superbike race weekend, in the corresponding month of April 1988.
In what is now SBK's 20th year, it is only fitting that Donington returns to the World Superbike calendar per se, having been a much-missed venue since the last SBK meeting there in 2001. On that day two legendary SBK names, Pierfrancesco Chili and Neil Hodgson each won races, and way back in 1988, current Ducati Xerox team manager Davide Tardozzi and former GP champion Marco Lucchinelli won a leg each.
James Toseland with his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda returns to what will be the first of three home races this season in the position of championship leader, having scored two wins and two second places thus far. He and his team-mate
Roberto Rolfo missed the recent official SBK tests but Toseland will still be going for front row qualifying slots to allow him to lead the pack on the early run down the awesome Craner Curves section of the Donington circuit.
The only other riders to have won races thus far are even more experienced in terms of recent race outings at
Donington, with Qatar race winner Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s, Max Biaggi second in the rankings and 16 points down on Toseland, while Phillip Island race winner
Troy Bayliss aboard his Ducati Xerox machine is overall third, some 26 points from the lead. Biaggi's team-mate
Yukio Kagayama is an experienced rider at Donington, having been a BSB regular for two seasons, but for Bayliss' team-mate
Lorenzo Lanzi this weekend is a new challenge on a World Superbike machine, although he has raced at Donington before in 2001, on a 250.
