Will the next Acosta be Chinese? Shengbo Sun is already a world champion—here's who's behind him

With his Playmaker Agency, Albert Valera is one of the most powerful managers in the MotoGP paddock. Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta are among his clients, following earlier collaborations with Jorge Lorenzo and Aleix Espargaro, and he has recently added Tony Arbolino and Alvaro Carpe to his roster. Speaking of young riders, the latest addition to his clients is a name potentially capable of reshaping the future balance of the World Championship: Shengbo Sun.

Twelve years old, Shengbo Sun was born in the land of the Great Wall, but has always lived on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal and, in recent years, Spain, where he began racing at a high level, winning extensively in Catalonia’s promotional and developmental series. Given that he’s effectively become Spanish, everyone knows him by the name Eddie.

In Spain’s development championships, Shengbo "Eddie" Sun was welcomed by the ETG team (Escola Tècnica de Girona), an organization that has also won world titles (in Supersport 300 with Ana Carrasco) and that supported him in making the big leap to larger wheels. He wrapped up a storybook 2025: victories in the Spanish Moto4 Championship, but especially in the FIM MotoMini 190cc World Final in Valencia. He dominated the scene, making history as the first Chinese rider to claim such a result, succeeding Alvaro Lucas on the roll of honor, who has already starred with the Aspar team in the JuniorGP circus.

Albert Valera didn’t let such a promising talent slip away, planning for him to step up to the European Talent Cup (to be renamed the Moto4 European Cup from 2026) once he reaches the minimum age to compete. In the meantime, "Eddie" has caught the eye of one of the Chinese manufacturers most committed to motorsport today, namely CFMOTO. They sponsor him, he’s part of their Talent Academy, and, considering their partnership with Aspar, his future already seems well charted far in advance.