Supersport, two-speed China: ZXMoto flies with Debise, QJ Motor struggles

Those who expected a Chinese derby between ZXMoto and QJ Motor, perhaps for a top-10 finish, were immediately proven wrong. There’s a gulf between the two Chinese motorcycle manufacturers.

ZX Moto, in its debut Supersport season, already has 99 points on the board, with Valentin Debise taking no fewer than 3 wins and currently sitting third in the overall standings. QJ Motor, now in its third season, is still at zero. It has the alibi of having skipped two rounds, but in terms of performance the comparison is merciless. And to think Raffaele De Rosa is a good rider, one of the best on the grid.

QJ Motor was the first to make a decisive entry into WorldSSP, bringing the SRK800RR to the track in a project born primarily to strengthen its international image. The company, part of the Geely group which also controls Benelli, followed a fairly traditional strategy: start from a road bike and develop it to be competitive in the Supersport World Championship. The initial results were modest, partly because the bike particularly suffered in terms of weight and outright competitiveness compared to Ducati and Yamaha. Over the course of 2025, however, development work showed clear signs of progress.

ZXMoto’s approach, on the other hand, is different—it's a much smaller brand but one born with a decidedly racing mindset. The 820RR arrived in Supersport with a project built almost exclusively around on-track performance. It’s no coincidence that behind the operation is Zhang Xue, a figure already known to enthusiasts for his connection with Kove and for an extremely aggressive technical vision. Moreover, ZX can count on a solid team, EvanBros, focused solely on this project, while the situation at QJ is more multifaceted and complex.

If QJ Motor needed time to get close to the points, ZXMoto stunned everyone with Valentin Debise. Already in the first round at Phillip Island came the third-fastest time in Superpole, then two wins at Portimão and a recent victory in race 1 at Balaton. These results immediately drew the attention of the paddock and insiders. Just a few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine a Chinese bike capable of beating the category’s established benchmarks.

Technically, the two bikes also embody very different philosophies. QJ Motor chose a four-cylinder close to the Japanese tradition of classic supersports, while ZXMoto opted for a more modern three-cylinder of over 800 cc, with a more aggressive power delivery. Two opposite paths that also reflect the distinct identities of the respective brands.

In the Supersport paddock, many now see QJ Motor as a major industrial manufacturer using racing primarily as a tool for global commercial growth. ZXMoto, instead, is perceived as a reality much more singularly focused on competition, almost with the approach of small European manufacturers.

On one side there’s the industrial and commercial strength of QJ Motor; on the other, the speed and technical ambition shown by ZXMoto. In any case, the message coming from the Supersport World Championship is now crystal clear: China is no longer just an emerging market—it’s beginning to take center stage in terms of pure performance as well.

At the moment, ZXMoto is focused on a three-year project aiming for the Supersport world title—but what if it arrives before 2028? It’s too early to talk about Superbike, but that seems to be the destiny.

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