The WorldSBK Championship returns to the UK for its annual jaunt to Donington Park with several British riders in contention for strong results.

While the absence of Tom Sykes - the undisputed ‘Don’ of Donington - and the ongoing issues of Jonathan Rea at Yamaha have dulled hopes of a homegrown figure on the top step, the likes of Alex Lowes, Sam Lowes and perhaps even Scott Redding should keep the Union Jack flying high nonetheless.

There won’t, however, be a plucky wild-card to cheer on in 2025 as locally-sourced British Superbike teams shy away from the rigmarole that comes with upgrading their machinery to WorldSBK electronics and setting it up in the hope to be competitive.

It hasn’t always been like this though. Once upon a time, the parity in regulations between the world championship and various national Superbike series’ meant wildcards could legitimately rock up one weekend and use their local knowledge to cause a big upset on the biggest stage.

There have been some fairytale results over the years, especially in the USA and Japan, but also in the UK…

2000 - Neil Hodgson, Chris Walker (Donington Park & Brands Hatch)

WorldSBK arguably took a back seat in 2000 when Neil Hodgson and Chris Walker arrived to wildcard at Donington Park while in the midst of their immense fight for supremacy in the British Superbike Championship.

With nothing to split the pair at national level, though their WorldSBK appearance - Hodgson on the GSE Ducati, Walker on the Clarion Suzuki - counted for nothing in BSB terms, this was a fight for honour within the cauldron of tackling the world’s best, including local hero Carl Fogarty.

Having warmed up the 100,000-strong crowd with a run to third and fifth - Hodgson ahead of Walker - in race one, the pair were unstoppable in race two as they overhauled a fading Frankie Chili to score a popular 1-2 much to the delight of the home fans.

Hodgson would go on to repeat the feat at Brands Hatch later in the year, premeditating his switch to WorldSBK full-time in 2001.

2000 - John Reynolds (Brands Hatch)

Having taken a back seat to the success of Hodgson at Donington Park and Brands Hatch, a return to the latter venue at the end of the year would give John Reynolds his platform to shine on the world stage.

Aboard his Reve Red Bull Ducati, Reynolds tapped into that innate ability for being competitive in damp conditions - a staple of the British rider’s skillset - to upset both his fellow wildcards and the WorldSBK regulars with a fine victory.

2003 - Shane Byrne (Brands Hatch)

Having graduated to become the dominant force of WorldSBK three years on from his wildcard success, Hodgson should have known better than not to expect a similarly formidable local contingent on his return to the UK mid-way through the 2003 WorldSBK season.

Having already given the home crowds what they wanted with a double win at Silverstone, many were expecting another Hodgson-masterclass at Brands Hatch.

Instead, he’d come up against stiff opposition from BSB front runner Shane Byrne on the Monstermob Ducati, the Kent rider promptly sweeping away the competition at his beloved home venue to finish the year as one of only five riders to taste the WorldSBK winners’ champagne all season.

2008 - Tom Sykes (Donington Park)

Even by BSB’s lofty standards, the 2008 season was brimming with exciting new talent being primed for the world stage.

Having already introduced Jonathan Rea to the world the previous year, in 2008 Cal Crutchlow, Byrne and a rejuvenated Leon Haslam found themselves on the cusp of a move to the international stage on the back of their performances at national level.

One BSB rider who hadn’t been touted, however, was Tom Sykes but the Yorkishireman turned his reputation around with a headline-grabbing performance in the wet at Donington Park on the Rizla Suzuki.

In tricky conditions, Sykes whipped the crowd into a frenzy by taking on the lead over Troy Bayliss and clear off down the road to the tune of 3.9secs. A red flag would see the race neutralised with riders resuming their place on the grid in the position they were at the time of the stoppage.

While today this would result in a fresh restart from the lights, back then WorldSBK adopted a confusing aggregate system which meant Sykes started the race with those 3.9secs in hand over Bayliss. In short, even if Bayliss won, provided Sykes was within 3.9secs at the finish, he’d be classified as the winner.

While Bayliss made good on his second chance, Sykes did ultimately stay within range, only to throw his advantage away when he mistook a rain flag for the safety car flag and subsequently slowed down. Despite giving chase upon realising his mistake, he’d fall just short and end up second to Bayliss.

Nevertheless, the performance was enough to impress Yamaha, who signed him for 2009 to begin Sykes’ journey towards the WorldSBK title with Kawasaki in 2013.

2011 - John Hopkins (Silverstone)

Though not a British wildcard per se, American favourite John Hopkins had very much been adopted by the UK fans upon joining the BSB as part of the Crescent Suzuki team.

Though in the midst of his fierce title battle with Tommy Hill, former MotoGP rider Hopkins went a long way to proving he was back to his best with a fine display on his return to international action at Silverstone as a WorldSBK wildcard.

Grabbing a popular pole position, though he’d end up fifth and seventh in the races, it was still a statement-making performance.