The UK round of the World Superbike Championship returns to the stunning Donington Park this weekend. Nicolo Bulega is looking to continue his winning streak at a place where he has yet to take the top spot on the podium. And for the British fans, Superbike legend Jonathan Rea has been announced as a wildcard for Honda. Here are the big stories heading into the weekend.

Dixon Returns

Jake Dixon is set to make his return to the WSBK paddock this weekend if he can pass Thursday’s pre-race medical. Dixon crashed out during testing at Phillip Island earlier this season, injuring his wrist. He has yet to complete a full race weekend with the factory Honda squad.

He began his “on-bike recovery” back in Aragon, where he made his debut in race one of the weekend, but was forced to sit out on Sunday after warm-up due to his injury.

Dixon completed a test at Donington a couple of weeks ago, completing 70 laps across two sessions. He seems set to go for the upcoming weekend.

A Superstar Wildcard

Six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea is taking to the track once again for the factory Honda squad this weekend as a wildcard. Rea has raced with the team already this year, filling in for both Dixon and Somkiat Chantra when they have been unfit to ride.

Donington has previously been a happy hunting ground for the Northern Irishman; he claimed a hat-trick of wins around the East Midlands circuit in 2019.

Rea is coming into the weekend on the back of a victory at the 8 hours of Suzuka this past weekend, alongside Chantra. The Honda squad will be hoping to carry on this momentum into the weekend and give the home fans something to cheer about.

Can Anyone Stop Bulega?

The championship leader, Nicolo Bulega, is yet to finish a race off the top step this season and is currently on track to match the second-most wins in a season. The Italian currently sits on 21 wins this season.

He can also break the record for consecutive pole positions this weekend. He is currently tied with Jonathan Rea for 8 consecutive poles.

It might not be all easy for the Ducati man, though, as Donington Park is the only track on the calendar where he has yet to take victory in WSBK. So who are the challengers?

His teammate, Iker Lecuona, seems to be the easy choice to end the dominance, having finished runner-up to Bulega since round one in Australia.

For the British crowd, the hopes would be a good weekend for the Lowes brothers. Alex Lowes currently sits fourth in the championship, and Sam sits in fifth place. Both will be looking to take it to the Championship leader and get a win on home soil.

WSBK returns to Donington this weekend. For those not attending, you can catch the action live on TNT Sports. Subscribe to the Sports League for a review of the weekend on Monday, and keep checking for the latest news across motorsport.