The series launched in 1988 as a championship open to modified versions of production road bikes. For many years the regulations pitted 1,000 cc V-twin machines, primarily from Ducati, against 750 cc four-cylinder entries from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. Honda won early with the RC30, but the V-twin formula gradually proved its advantage. From 1993 to 1999, Carl Fogarty and Ducati dominated, with Fogarty claiming four titles — all on factory Ducatis — and finishing runner-up twice. Troy Corser also won the 1996 championship on a Ducati.
The Formula TT, which had constituted the official FIM motorcycle World Cup from 1977 to 1989, was wound up at the close of the 1990 season and the Superbike World Championship established as its successor.
Honda introduced the VTR1000 SPW V-twin in 2000, and Colin Edwards promptly won the championship in the bike's debut year. Ducati retook the title in 2001 with Troy Bayliss, and Edwards reclaimed it in 2002 in one of the most celebrated comebacks in motorcycle racing history. Bayliss had won the first six races and led by 58 points at Laguna Seca; Edwards then won all nine remaining races, with a race-two crash for Bayliss at Assen sealing the outcome at the final round at Imola in a wheel-to-wheel battle fans called the "Showdown at Imola."
Rule changes in 2003 allowed 1,000 cc machines of any configuration. The shift of Japanese manufacturer resources toward MotoGP left Ducati nearly unchallenged, earning the championship the derogatory nickname "the Ducati Cup," with Neil Hodgson taking the title. The 2004 season introduced Pirelli as a control tyre supplier, a controversial decision that initially triggered threats of withdrawal from most major manufacturers, though privateer Ten Kate Honda — with Chris Vermeulen — proved competitive before James Toseland won on a Ducati.
Japanese manufacturers returned in force in 2005 through European-importer teams; Troy Corser won the championship for Suzuki, giving the brand its first WorldSBK title. Troy Bayliss came back from MotoGP in 2006 and dominated, winning 12 races, before James Toseland claimed the 2007 crown at the final race by two points over Noriyuki Haga.
Ducati's switch to the 1098 prompted rule changes for 2008 allowing V-twins up to 1,200 cc with a weight and airflow penalty. Bayliss completed his career with a dominant 2008 season, signing off at the new Portimao circuit in Portugal with a double win. American Ben Spies delivered a record-breaking 2009, taking 11 poles and 14 wins in 28 races, before moving to MotoGP.
Carlos Checa won the 2011 title after a commanding season, while Max Biaggi took a tight 2012 championship by half a point over Tom Sykes. Sykes won in 2013; Aprilia's Sylvain Guintoli prevailed at the final race in 2014 by six points over Sykes despite winning fewer races.
Jonathan Rea began a record-setting run with Kawasaki, winning six consecutive titles from 2015 to 2020. His fifth consecutive title in 2019 saw him surpass Carl Fogarty's previous record of four championships, and he accumulated a new all-time record for race victories along the way. The 2017 season was marked by the death of Honda rider and former MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, who succumbed to injuries from a cycling accident near Rimini. A three-race format with the Superpole Race was introduced for 2019.
Toprak Razgatlioglu broke Rea's run by winning for Yamaha in 2021. Alvaro Bautista then delivered back-to-back titles for Ducati in 2022 and 2023, the latter season seeing Ducati reach 400 total championship victories. In 2024, with Rea moving to Yamaha and Razgatlioglu to BMW, it was Razgatlioglu who won a second title. In April 2024, Liberty Media — owner of Formula One — acquired 86% of Dorna Sport, bringing WorldSBK under the same corporate umbrella as MotoGP.
Razgatlioglu won a third Superbike title in 2025, then departed for MotoGP with Yamaha, ending his WorldSBK career with 78 race victories — second only to Rea's all-time record. Rea retired at the end of 2025 but briefly returned in 2026 as a test and replacement rider for Honda, competing at Portimao and Assen. Ducati won its 21st manufacturers' title in 2025 and was set to celebrate its centenary on 4 July 2026.
The championship draws riders worldwide, with its strongest fan bases in Italy (owing to Ducati) and the United Kingdom, where superbike racing has historically been the most followed form of motorcycle sport. Manufacturers whose machines have competed include Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, Aprilia, BMW, Bimota, MV Agusta, and Petronas, among others. Many WorldSBK champions have transitioned to MotoGP, including Edwards, Toseland, and Ben Spies, while several former MotoGP runners moved to WorldSBK later in their careers.
The Supersport World Championship has accompanied WorldSBK since 1990, using 600 cc four-cylinder, 675 cc triple, or 600–750 cc twin machines under strict chassis and tyre regulations. The FIM Superstock 1,000 Cup served as a further European support class with near-standard machinery and a rider age limit of 24, while the European Superstock 600 Championship catered to 600 cc machines in the 15–24 age group, organised by FIM Europe.