Fabio Evangelista got this one right too: "ZXMoto wasn’t a leap into the unknown; together we’ll go far"
Road RacingWednesday, 29 April 2026 at 19:38
"You can’t have your cake and eat it too." A saying as old as time and still relevant in motorcycling. The ZXMoto Evan Bros case, however, proves the opposite.
Many naysayers claim that the Romagna-based team left Yamaha to race with Chinese bikes for purely financial reasons. Many thought it was a gamble, a speculation. The results, however, are proving Fabio Evangelista, Team Principal of Evan Bros, right. Historically, his team has been very good at finding riders with personal sponsors who were also very fast, such as Odendaal, Locatelli, Baldassarri, etc. Then in 2023 there was a setback in terms of results, but the following year the positive trend had already resumed. Now, with the Chinese, everything is sailing smoothly.
"With ZXMoto we’ve started a three-year path of sustainability that goes hand in hand with results. We always aim for victory. On many occasions we’ve been lucky to find riders with great talent and personal sponsors, but it hasn’t always been like that. When you have to rely on riders who are financially self-sufficient, it can go well—and it often has—but it can also go badly, and we had an underwhelming season. I want to stress that we would have liked to always be able to pay our riders, but the budget didn’t allow it. Now, by becoming a factory team, we have two riders who are paid directly by the manufacturer, and that’s the best thing.
ZXMoto was not a leap into the void, a bet driven purely by economic reasons—quite the opposite. We had been to China, we had seen the bike, how the company works, and we knew full well that the machine was up to the task. Sure, we didn’t think it would be immediately winning, but we did think we could take podiums from mid-season onwards and still have a good championship."
Medium-term plans?
"We’re performing above our expectations, I won’t deny it. I don’t think we can aim for the 2026 championship win. Valentin Debise is one of the best riders on the grid and has shown it in the past as well. We’re working very well, but let’s remember the bike is new and there’s still a lot to do. We have a three-year agreement, and I’m convinced that over these three years we can fight for the championship."
Why is Federico Caricasulo struggling?
"In Race 2 at Assen we may have figured it out. It’s a technical matter, a setup issue. Federico’s riding style is totally different from Valentin’s, and what works for one doesn’t work for the other. We analyzed all the data and we’re confident that already at Balaton he can perform at his level: top 10 or even some top 5s. The Hungarian track is new, we’re only in the second year, teams don’t have much history there. I think we can do it with both riders."
Will there be any changes in balance of performance?
"We’re waiting with confidence and curiosity. We started the championship with a 15% throttle closure. Generally, after every three rounds all the data are examined and, based on those, new evaluations are made, so there could be news. We’ll see. Up to now I’m very happy with what we’ve done together with the Chinese factory. We’ve done well."
Let’s take a look at the championship. Who would you bet on?
"I think it will be a two-way battle between Masia and Arenas, but if I have to bet on one of the two, I’ll go with Arenas. He adapted to the bike right away and showed great maturity: I really liked him in the first races of the season. Right now, I see him as the favorite for the championship."
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