Hodgson won the first nine races this season Hodgson's year in photos

But the 29-year-old from Burnley has finally fulfilled the phenomenal potential he showed as a youngster to become only the second Briton to lift the title.

Hodgson burst on to the motorcycling scene in 1995 when he finished 11th in the 500c world championship as a 21-year-old.

By that stage he had already written his name in history as the youngest rider to appear in the 125cc series.

A seventh-place finish in his home Grand Prix and a dream move to the Ducati factory squad for the 1996 World Superbike Championship seemed to secure his future before it all turned sour.

Hodgson crowned champion

Ducati's victories in the previous two riders' championships meant Hodgson was expected to be right in amongst the title contenders.

To make matters worse for Hodgson, he was seen by many as a replacement for the legendary Carl Fogarty who had made the move to Honda.

Hodgson found it difficult to match the expectation of fans, and struggled to get to grips with the machines as he eventually finished 10th in the standings.

A wasted year at Ducati came and went, as did a fruitless campaign with Kawasaki as Hodgson slipped seemingly into obscurity.

But a move into the British Superbike Championship in 1999 with GSE Racing provided the impetus which his career so badly needed.

His fourth place in the standings was followed the next season by a return to the world stage.

Hodgson's Championship in pictures

As a wildcard Ducati rider, Hodgson claimed wins in his first-ever World Superbike races at Brands Hatch and Donington.

GSE's faith in him took the team into World Superbikes and, as HM Plant Ducati, they enjoyed considerable success as Hodgson took fifth in the championship.

That gave him the confidence boost he needed and 2002 gave him an opportunity to truly set the record straight.

While Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards were fighting it out for the title on state-of-the-art bikes, Hodgson - on a year-old Ducati - was consistently over-achieving and eventually finished third.

When Bayliss and eventual champion Edwards moved into Grand Prix racing the stage was set for Hodgson to fill the void and complete his rehabilitation.