World Championship Win Marks Breakthrough for China’s Motorcycle-Makers
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Chongqing-based motorcycle manufacturer ZXMOTO secured a landmark victory in the Superbike World Championship’s middleweight class, marking the first time a Chinese factory team has won the category.
French rider Valentin Debise delivered back-to-back wins at the Portuguese round over the weekend, riding a ZXMOTO 820RR-RS. The breakthrough underscores a broader push by Chinese motorcycle firms to shed their image as makers of low-cost commuter bikes and challenge established international players in the high-performance market.
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- ZXMOTO won Superbike World Championship middleweight class, first for Chinese factory team, via Valentin Debise's back-to-back Portuguese wins on 820RR-RS.
- Founder Zhang Xue launched ZXMOTO in 2024 after Kove Moto exit; 500RR sold 21,000 units in 2025; developed own 150hp engine.
- Raised 90M yuan ($13M) Series A in 2026, valuation 1.1B yuan; targets 100,000 sales by 2027, electric bikes by 2028.
1. Chongqing-based ZXMOTO achieved a historic win in the Superbike World Championship’s middleweight class, the first for a Chinese factory team, with French rider Valentin Debise securing back-to-back victories at the Portuguese round on the ZXMOTO 820RR-RS. This marks Chinese firms' push into high-performance markets against giants like Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Triumph. Founder Zhang Xue, watching from Chongqing, celebrated emotionally after 20 years. [para. 1][para. 2][para. 3]
2. ZXMOTO is named after founder Zhang Xue, born in 1987 in Hunan province, who dropped out of school to become a motorcycle mechanic. In 2006, he got Hunan Television to air his stunt riding to join a pro team, which he did in 2007 without pay. By 2009, savings depleted, he moved to Chongqing in 2013, tuning bikes, joining a maker for model development, but left due to delays. [para. 5][para. 6][para. 7]
3. In 2017, Zhang co-founded Kove Moto with Yan Kai to target high-end recreational bikes; sales grew from 800 units in 2018 to 28,000 in 2023, using Loncin engines. Zhang advocated for proprietary engines but clashed with conservative management, leading to his removal as GM in February 2024 and resignation. He founded ZXMOTO two months later. [para. 8][para. 9]
4. ZXMOTO launched its first model, 500RR, in September 2024, selling 21,000 units in 2025. The 820RR followed in March 2026. It developed in-house engines in under two years: 150-hp inline three-cylinder (used in the winning bike) and 85-hp inline four-cylinder, fulfilling Zhang's vision. [para. 10]
5. Financially, ZXMOTO got angel funding from Focus Capital in July 2024 and 90 million yuan ($13M) Series A in January 2026 from Zhejiang Venture Capital, valuing it at 1.1 billion yuan. Unprofitable in 2025 with over 20M yuan loss, it aims to double 2026 sales, hit 100,000 units by 2027, expand combustion lineup, launch electric models in 2027, and profit in electrics by 2028. [para. 11][para. 12]
6. High-performance shift mirrors China's changing market: commuters dominate, but youth see bikes as lifestyle. 2025 two-wheeler sales hit 19.2M units (+10.3% YoY); >250cc recreational sales surged 25.9% to 952,000 units. [para. 14][para. 15]
7. Globally, Chinese makers escape low-end price wars via racing like Superbike and MotoGP to test tech. [para. 16]
8. Others advance: Kove Moto won Superbike lightweight title in Oct 2025; QJ Motor competes in middleweight; CF Moto swept MotoGP lightweight "grand slam" in 2024. CF Moto's H1 2025: 150,000 global units, 3.3B yuan revenue (+3% YoY); domestic 79,000 units, 1.7B yuan (+17.35%). [para. 17][para. 18]
(Word count: 498)
- ZXMOTO
- ZXMOTO, founded by Zhang Xue in 2024 in Chongqing, won the Superbike World Championship middleweight class—first for a Chinese factory team—via Valentin Debise on the 820RR-RS. It developed own engines, sold 21,000 500RR units in 2025, raised $13M Series A (valuation $160M), lost >$3M that year, and targets 100,000 sales by 2027 plus electric bikes.
- Ducati
- Ducati was one of the global heavyweights, alongside Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Triumph, that ZXMOTO competed against in the Superbike World Championship’s middleweight class, where ZXMOTO secured its landmark victory.
- Honda
- Honda was one of the global heavyweights, alongside Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Triumph, that ZXMOTO competed against in the Superbike World Championship’s middleweight class.
- Kawasaki
- Kawasaki was one of the global heavyweights, alongside Ducati, Honda, Yamaha, and Triumph, competing against ZXMOTO in the Superbike World Championship’s middleweight class, where ZXMOTO achieved a landmark victory.
- Yamaha
- ZXMOTO competed against global heavyweights including Yamaha in the Superbike World Championship’s middleweight class, securing a landmark victory as the first Chinese factory team to win the category.
- Triumph
- Triumph was one of the global heavyweights, including Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha, that ZXMOTO competed against—and beat—in the Superbike World Championship’s middleweight class.
- Kove Moto
- Kove Moto, co-founded by Zhang Xue in 2017, grew sales from 800 units (2018) to 28,000 (2023). It relied on Loncin engines. Zhang left in 2024 after management disputes. In Oct 2025, it became the first Chinese brand to win the Superbike World Championship lightweight class title.
- Zhufeng Industrial Group
- Zhufeng Industrial Group's then-president, Yan Kai, co-founded Kove Moto with ZXMOTO founder Zhang Xue in 2017 to target the high-end recreational motorcycle market.
- Loncin
- Loncin, a Chinese engine manufacturer, supplied engines to Kove Moto during Zhang Xue's tenure there before he founded ZXMOTO. Zhang advocated for proprietary engines to avoid dependency on suppliers like Loncin. (38 words)
- Focus Capital
- Focus Capital provided an angel-round investment to ZXMOTO in July 2024.
- Zhejiang Venture Capital Group
- Zhejiang Venture Capital Group led ZXMOTO's Series A funding round in January 2026, raising 90 million yuan ($13 million) and valuing the company at 1.1 billion yuan.
- QJ Motor
- QJ Motor has competed in the Superbike World Championship’s middleweight class.
- CFMoto
- CFMoto achieved a historic "grand slam" in MotoGP's lightweight class in 2024, sweeping rider, team, and manufacturer championships. In H1 2025, it sold 150,000 motorcycles globally (revenue 3.3B yuan, +3% YoY) and 79,000 domestically (1.7B yuan, +17.35%).
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