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Three is the magic number in the FIM Supersport World Championship as the Pirelli Spanish Round approaches. With three rounds remaining, a triangular shootout is on the cards between three very different riders of three different nationalities, each representing their own team and manufacturer. The title cannot be won in Spain this weekend, but there is certainly potential to lose it. The situation is on a knife-edge.

It’s crunch time in World Supersport for 2015. Last year in Spain, Dutchman Michael van der Mark did the honours by clinching the title as he won the race. 12 months on and the younger brother of World Superbike looks likely to be the only category in the WorldSBK roster to see this year’s championship fight go all the way to the final round in Qatar, which itself follows the French fixture at Magny-Cours. But will the battle still be alive by Losail? Jerez will play a massive part in deciding its legacy.

The contenders involved couldn’t be much more diverse, representing three fine marques in Kawasaki, MV Agusta and Honda: Kenan Sofuoglu of Turkey (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Jules Cluzel of France (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and PJ Jacobsen of the USA (CORE’’ Motorsport Thailand).

Sofuoglu is the three-time World Supersport Champion of 2007, 2010 and 2012. From the first nine races of the season he has achieved four wins and six podium finishes, but has been outside the top three at the last two events.

Cluzel’s poor luck came early on. He may have won at Phillip Island, but was denied by engine failures in both Thailand and Aragon; as things stand, he has won a total of three races and claimed seven podium finishes, including the last six races in a row. Like Sofuoglu, Cluzel has started on the front row at every single race, but the Frenchman has been the best qualifier with a superb six pole positions from nine.

Jacobsen’s year has taken very different shape, switching team after Donington Park; he has five front rows to his credit, both his maiden pole position and victory last time out at Sepang and a total of five podium places (three of them in the last three races).

Sofuoglu’s lead is 13 points over Cluzel and 28 over Jacobsen, with a maximum of 75 points on offer from the last trio of encounters. It should also be noted that Lorenzo Zanetti (Cluzel’s MV team-mate) could still claim the title as the fourth and final rider still in with a shot, although the Italian sits 27 points in arrears of Jacobsen and a significant 55 behind the championship leader. Best of the rest is Gino Rea (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda), but 80 points behind Sofuoglu is a bridge too far.

Although the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team has scored 57 more points than Kawasaki Puccetti Racing thus far this season, it is not that comfortable in the Manufacturers’ Championship. In a truly nail-biting contest, Italian brand MV Agusta lies just a single point in front of Japanese rival Kawasaki. The latter’s compatriot, Honda, is also still in the mix, just a further 20 points behind. Kawasaki and Honda have been the Champions of the last two years (with Honda having also won a further nine titles in the past), but a crown for MV Agusta would be a celebrated first.

Thickening the plot even further, nine riders will compete at Jerez as either Wild Card or One Event entries. These include Italy’s Nicola Morrentino Jr. (who takes time out from the Superstock 600 class) and Jacobsen’s ex team-mate Lucas Mahias, as the Frenchman makes a welcome return after his previous team pulled out of the championship. Moto3 World Championship outcast Niklas Ajo of Finland ventures into the WorldSBK paddock for the first time, as Sarunas Pladas makes history by becoming the first Lithuanian to take part in a World Championship road racing competition. Also in action will be Spain’s own Christian Palomares Vilar, Russia’s Alexey Ivanov and the Czech Republic’s Miroslav Popov, plus Hungarian duo David Juhasz and Janos Chrobak.

The presence of the aforementioned Palomares (Autos Arroyos Pastrana Racing Team - Yamaha) takes the Spanish contingent on the grid up to three, as he joins 2015 regulars Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing Team – Honda) and Marcos Ramirez (Team Lorini – Honda). Incidentally, Ramirez travels to Jerez fresh from his latest victory at Albacete (aboard a Yamaha) in the Superstock 600 tier of the FIM CEV Repsol.

The first Jerez practice session for the World Supersport Championship will be staged from 10:15am local time (GMT +2) on Friday. Across the weekend, all of the qualifying and race action can be followed live on WorldSBK.com.