British Superbike Championship

British Superbike Championship

The official British Superbike logo
Category	Motorcycle sport
Country	United Kingdom
Inaugural season	1988
Riders	37 (2016)
Teams	19 (2016)
Constructors	6 (BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha)
Tyre suppliers	Pirelli
Riders' champion	2016, Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
Official website	britishsuperbike.com/
Current season

The British Superbike Championship (BSB), currently known for sponsorship reasons as the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, is the leading road racing superbike championship in the United Kingdom, and is widely acknowledged as the premier domestic superbike racing series in the world.

The championship is managed and organised by MotorSport Vision, who also own many of the circuits the series meets at. The Series and Race Director is Stuart Higgs, with event marshals provided by the Racesafe Marshals Association.

The series typically races over twelve rounds from April to October, with the series concluding in a three-round 'Showdown,' where the top six riders are awarded points based on their podium finishes from the previous nine rounds and then compete over three rounds and seven races for the title. The Showdown format was introduced in 2010 in order to prevent a rider from making a runaway victory in the championship.

From 2008, the championship followed the Superbike World Championship in appointing Pirelli as the single control tyre supplier.

The British Superbike Championship began in 1988, with bikes conforming to 750cc TT Formula I regulations, which the championship used through to 1993, when Superbike regulations were adopted.

Niall Mackenzie was the most successful rider of the 1990s, with three titles. Other past champions include Neil Hodgson, Australian Troy Bayliss and Steve Hislop. Chris 'the Stalker' Walker has finished as runner up 4 times. Many riders from the series have gone on to race in the Superbike World Championship or MotoGP.