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The return of top-level Yamaha machinery to the championship, in the shape of the Yamaha ParkinGO team, has added a whole welcome new element to the class's very own periodic table and at the start of the year it looked like Chaz Davies and Luca Scassa were going to be capable of sharing every win and the championship lead all the way home. In Supersport, in any season, this is seldom the case.

Scassa had the better luck and ultimately faster pace to win the first race at Phillip Island, but with the top three finishers covered by 0.033 seconds, it was clear that second place man Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com) and full season rookie Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) in third, were going to fill the boots of the riders who had moved on just fine.

Chaz Davies, like other top riders including Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda) was to have terrible luck in Australia and no-score, but over the next races Davies' finishing record read, second, first, first, sixth and first, which puts him in the lead of the championship right now.

Parkes built on his second place at his home race in Phillip Island with a fifth, third, fourth and his first win for Kawasaki at Misano. It was only at the most recent race at Aragon, while leading the championship, that his luck deserted him, he crashed out, and Davies retook the lead.

Parkes' team-mate David Salom scored his first podium (and on home soil to boot) last time out. His consistent ability to score, even in Monza when his bike was far from at its best, sees him third at present. Other top riders can only envy Salom his metronomic ability to post good points every time out so far.

Scassa had let his heart rule his head at Assen and crashed, and then he got banned at Misano for breaking the rules on testing, before finally crashing out again at Aragon. Six races, three scores and now fourth in the championship, you can bet Scassa needs no reminding on what his primary task will be for the next six races.

Despite some horrible injuries between them, true grit and sheer ability from Fabien Foret and new star Sam Lowes have delivered them three podiums apiece, results that have kept them in the hunt. Arguably, however, the performance of the year has come from Harms Benjan Racing's lone rider, Robbin Harms. On a very privateer bike which is not in the same plane of outright performance as some because of the team's tight budgets, Harms was top Honda rider in the series until very recently. The experienced Dane has just missed out on a podium finish more than once.

New names and old favourites have found fertile soil in WSS in 2011. Proven race winner Massimo Roccoli has been able to demonstrate his skill on the Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki more than once. Florian Marino has made real progress as talented team-mate to Foret while Gino Rea has already tasted champagne, with third at Donington.

Seven different podium finishers, three podium capable machine types so far, and three different race winners (Davies three, Scassa two and Parkes one) - the WSS Championship 2011-style has already provided skills, thrills and spills. And best of all, we are only halfway through the 12-round season.