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When is a home race not a home race? That's the question facing title contender Chaz Davies this weekend. Donington Park is certainly the Welshman's home round, but with his fellow Brits having raced at the circuit throughout their formative years, Donington has always been an outlier for Davies. A round to call his own, but a track that he hasn't ultimately felt as comfortable on compared to some others.

Davies has continued to get to grips with the track and finished on the podium in his World Supersport Championship winning season. Last year, his adaptation culminated in two rostrum finishes in WorldSBK. The challenge for Davies is that having spent his formative years in Spain and in World Championship racing, he has been behind the learning curve at Donington and while he is now very competitive at the track, he hasn’t been able to reach the same level as this weekend's race favourite – Tom Sykes.

Tom Sykes has been victorious at Donington Park for the last three years and even had his first ever WorldSBK podium at the track in 2008, but the Yorkshireman has said that he can't explain why he's so successful at the venue.

“It is always a pleasure to race at a home round and it is a fantastic circuit,” Sykes said. “Obviously we have some good history there and the plan is to continue that. If I think of previous events we are in a good position to make it all possible. I have no idea why Donington has been such a special place for me in the past few years.

“People always suggest that I am familiar with it, it is a home race, or something else like that. There is no particular reason for me. I try with the same effort at every circuit but I am grateful for my success at Donington.”

While Sykes may discount the home circuit advantage, it's clear that the combination of the Huddersfield native and the Kawasaki ZX10R Ninja is the one to beat at Donington Park. Sykes will come to his home round confident after claiming his second win of the season at the last round in Malaysia, but with a 70 point disadvantage to the Championship leader, his KRT teammate Jonathan Rea, Sykes has a mountain to climb in terms of points.

Donington Park is a special circuit with a rich history. While Formula 1 and MotoGP have graced the famous track, WorldSBK has always held a special place in the history of Donington Park. In 1988, the first ever WorldSBK round was held at the track with Davide Tardozzi and Marco Lucchinelli taking the honours. This year will see another series bow with Cameron Beaubier replacing Sylvain Guintoli to make his WorldSBK debut.

The highly rated American, who raced in 125GP in 2009, is the reigning Moto America champion and comes with a big reputation given his success in the US. This weekend is an ideal opportunity for the Californian to showcase his talent and while it's very difficult to make waves on your debut, the lack of pressure on him could free him confidently.

“I don’t really know what to expect.,” admitted the American. “I haven’t raced those guys, and I’ve never been on that bike. I rode the track about seven years ago and it was pretty fun on a 125. It’s going to be quite a bit different on a big bike, but at least I know what direction it’s going! I’m kind of getting thrown in the deep end a little bit, but I’m super grateful for the opportunity Yamaha has put together for me. It’s pretty cool.”

A strong performance for Beaubier at Donington could lead to a bigger future in the WorldSBK paddock, and America has already seen success with the Crescent squad, who in 2008 brought the reigning AMA Superbike champion to race for them at Donington Park. That year, Ben Spies raced for them in MotoGP - and scored points.

This should be a very special weekend of racing and with British riders locking out the top three positions in the Championship the home crowd has plenty of reasons to be excited!