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A return to Donington for the Supersport World Championship class is as welcome as it is in the Superbike division and the circuit has a reputation of throwing up some all time WSS greats in its list of previous winners.

The first Donington WSS races, in 1997 and 1998, were both won by Ducati rider Paolo Casoli. The first Donington race winner when the championship was upgraded to a full FIM World Championship status was local man James Whitham, for Yamaha. His victory persuaded him to take up a full time role in this class and he won four races in total in his WSS career.

1999 World Champion Stephane Chambon (Suzuki) won the Donington race in 2000, with Casoli taking a hat-trick of wins at this classically sculpted circuit in 2001, this time on a Yamaha.

After Donington disappeared off the WSBK series radar there was a long gap until the 2007 season, but eventual two-time WSS champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) was the man who took the comeback win.

One year later Aussie-rider-turned-eventual-BSB-competitor Josh Brookes (Honda) secured the win at Donington, and the most recent rider to take a Donington WSS race victory was the second British rider to take the plaudits of the Donington crowd in this class, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) in 2009 (photo).

There was no Donington race in 2010, but the 2011 contest will feature anything up to ten potential race winners, from a variety of manufacturers and teams.