The British Superbike Championship began in 1988 using bikes conforming to 750 cc TT Formula I regulations, which remained in use through 1993 before the championship adopted full Superbike regulations. A predecessor series, the MCN Superbike Championship, had run from 1971 to 1982 under Motor Cycle News sponsorship, but the modern unified BSB series took shape when MCN relaunched it in 1996 with standardised Superbike rules.
Niall Mackenzie was the dominant force of the 1990s, winning three titles and setting a season race-win record of 13 victories in 1997. Other champions from the era included Neil Hodgson, Troy Bayliss, and Steve Hislop. From 2006 onward, Japanese Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari won three BSB titles in 2006, 2007, and 2010. The 2009 season saw Leon Camier set a new single-season record with 14 race victories on his Yamaha, dominating so comprehensively that he clinched the title with four rounds remaining — an outcome that directly prompted the introduction of the Showdown format the following year.
The championship was restructured from 2010 with the introduction of the Showdown, a playoff system designed to ensure the title fight extended into the season's final rounds. Under the format, the first nine meetings of the year constitute the Main Season, after which the top six riders — later expanded to eight from 2021 — are identified as Title Fighters. These riders enter the final three meetings (seven races) with equalised base points of 500, to which are added bonus credits earned during the Main Season: three points per win, two per second place, one per third. Standard points scoring then applies across the Showdown races. Riders outside the Title Fighters continue accumulating their season totals for the overall standings and the Riders' Cup. The format drew comparisons to the NASCAR playoff system used in American oval racing.
From 2008, BSB followed the World Superbike Championship in appointing Pirelli as the single control tyre supplier. The series visits circuits across England, Scotland, and the Netherlands, including Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton, Knockhill, Thruxton, Cadwell Park, Donington Park, TT Circuit Assen, and Silverstone. Historic venues such as Croft, Mallory Park, Rockingham, Mondello Park in Ireland, and Pembrey in Wales have also featured on past calendars.
Eligible manufacturers have included BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha, with riders typically competing on the most current production-derived Superbike models from each marque.
The series attracted significant television audiences during the mid-2000s. ITV broadcast live coverage that generated average audiences of approximately 962,000 UK adults per round in 2006, with a peak of more than 1.5 million viewers for the final round at Brands Hatch. Total annual UK television audiences exceeded eleven million in 2007, representing one of the largest domestic followings for a motorcycle racing series anywhere in the world. The championship subsequently moved to British Eurosport, with highlights on Channel 4.
The championship has carried several title sponsorships since its modern incarnation. Motor Cycle News held the initial title from 1996 to 2004, with Bennetts Insurance becoming sponsor from 2005. MCE Insurance backed the series from 2009 to 2017, before Bennetts returned for a second stint from 2018 through 2025. From 2026, tobacco-substitute brand Zyn became title sponsor, prompting controversy given the United Kingdom's restrictions on tobacco-related advertising in sport. The series is promoted from 2026 as the ZYN British Superbike Championship.
BSB has consistently served as a proving ground for riders who go on to compete in the Superbike World Championship and MotoGP. Its reputation as the world's most competitive national superbike series rests on the quality of machinery, the depth of the rider field, and the close racing produced by its circuits. The Showdown format, despite initial controversy, became a defining feature of the championship and has influenced discussion of similar formats in other national series.