British Superbike riders are raring to go across all the classes

And once again there will be plenty of riders and teams, from across the Black Country and Staffordshire, on the start line when the flag finally drops for at Donington Park, August 7-9, for round one.

Brierley Hill's Michael Rutter will be leading the charge in the support series, entering the National Superstock 1000 championship as both a rider and team boss of Black Country-based Bathams Racing, alongside his new team-mate and current superstock 1000 champion, Richard Cooper.

Rutter, aged 48, will enter as many rounds as he sees fit but his main focus this year will be winning a first title with Cooper for Bathams Racing.

"It's really good news something is going to happen and it looks like it will be three rounds every weekend," he said.

"Our main problem, like so many teams, is the lack of sponsors going into the 2020 campaign. We are so lucky to have Bathams on board still but it's the smaller sponsors too.

"With so many businesses shut and all their staff still on furlough, they have no money for sponsorship, which has hit a lot of teams hard.

"They are all so vitally important when it comes to motorbike racing."

And there are plenty of other obstacles the riders and teams will have to overcome whilst in and around the paddock.

"Of course, another difficulty is the face no one has ridden a bike for the best part of six months, if they managed to get some testing in, so that's going to have an impact too," said Rutter, who will be entering his 31st year of racing this year.

"In other ways, it's going to be tricky how it's all going to work at the tracks. We're not sure if we can sleep overnight, how the garages will work with social distancing and even when you need the toilet.

"Everything would have to be spread so far apart as it stands so we'll just have to wait and see.

"We plan to go testing in July and have a track day booked with Richard at Mallory Park, in Leicestershire.

"Other than that, we'd be ready to go racing tomorrow because we've been working on the bikes throughout lockdown.

"We're waiting on a few parts to arrive, from places like Italy and China, but we're ready and raring to go."

Twins Kurt and Matt Wigley, from Hednesford, in Staffordshire, will also be back competing in the British Supersport championship – but in slightly different classes and on slightly different bikes.

Kurt, 24, will again be riding a supersport machine while Matt has opted to try riding one of the prototype GP2 bikes.

It means they will be on the same start line but their results will be split into their respective classes.

Following two years of evaluation, prototype machines of a similar specification to those seen at world and European championship level in the Moto2 category, were formally accepted into the British Championship for the first time in 2018 – and will continue in 2020.

British Supersport and British GP2 categories race side by side and will be separately classified – but there will also be a background classification to see who is the best of the best.

Matt said: "We have turned the delay to the BSB campaign into a positive by building a GP2 bike to run in the GP2/supersport class, so we're looking forward to the start."

One of the biggest shocks to come out of the BSB paddock towards the end of the 2019 campaign was that teenager Storm Stacey would be stepping up into the main British Superbikes series.

Stacey, from Eccelshall, who has only just turned 17, has been turning heads for a number of years whilst rising through the ranks.

And now he has been rewarded for his stunning debut campaign on 600cc motorbike, which saw him just miss out on National Superstock 600 title at the final round.

The teenager is no stranger to breaking records either, having become the youngest-ever winner of a British Superbike series race when he produced a stunning display aged just 12 to claim victory in the British Motostar series, standard class.

He also finished third in the Moto3 class of the British Motostar series in 2017 and 2018 – as well as competing in the British Talent Cup – signing for GR Motosport team last year, while also racing under the Team WD40-STAUFF Quick Connect Academy banner.

Ben Taylor, from Kidderminster, who turned 15 this month, admitted he "cannot wait" to go racing again.

The teenager will be riding with SBX RACING, on board his Kawasaki Ninja 400, in the British Junior Supersport Championship.

Plenty of eyes will be on Stourbridge-based Rich Energy OMG Racing, who are entering former MotoGP rider Hector Barbera, 33 and BSB race winner, Luke Mossey, 26, in the main BSB series, with Billy McConnell lining up on the National Superstock 1000 grid.

Stuart Tromans, from Brownhills, owner of the Tromans’ Astro JJR (James Jackson Racing) team, is supporting New Zealanders Shane Richardson and Damon Rees, both aged 24, in the National Superstock 1000 series.

The new BSB schedule will feature six triple-header events, totalling 18 championship rounds, starting at Donington Park, August 7-9, moving to Snetterton, August 21-23; Silverstone, September 4-6, Oulton Park, September 18-20; back to Donington Park, October 2-4; before the season finale at Brands Hatch, October 16-18.

Given the reduction in championship races from 27, the usual Showdown format will not be applied to the main British Superbike Championship.