The Italian‑run Evan Bros Racing Team is breaking new ground with landmark wins on Chinese-built ZXMOTO motorcycle, as its team principal noted the Chinese-built motorcycle is made to "compete at a high level."
Just on Saturday, at Hungary's Balaton Park Circuit, Evan Bros Racing Team made history with ZXMOTO as French rider Valentin Debise charged from third to first on the final lap to win Race 1 of the World Supersport category at the Hungarian round of International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) Superbike World Championship, delivering the Chinese manufacturer's third victory of its debut season.
"I think now it's quite clear that this bike was made to compete at a high level. The package was already good to start this project. Honestly, as I told you, we were thinking to get the podium during the season, but not so fast as we did," said Fabio Evangelista, the team principal.
When the bike arrived from China before the start of the season, the team had just 70 days to get it race-ready. In that brief window, they turned a new machine into a race contender.
"It's near 300 kilometers per hour. So, it's one of the fastest bikes in the [World] Supersport category, for sure," Evangelista said.
For the riders, adapting to this new motorcycle has been part of the process, and in these early weeks, they were encouraged by the potential already being shown on the track.
"They made a really, really good job. It is incredible for me to think that only six months ago, this bike didn't exist," said Federico Caricasulo, a rider with the Evan Bros Racing Team.
What began as a development season is already shifting expectations.
"At the moment, we have three years of contract with ZXMOTO, so that means 2027 and 28. Also, because at the beginning, our plan was and is to fight for the championship," said Evangelista.
Here in Balaton, the new contender lined up against the sport's established names, signaling a growing presence for Chinese motorcycle manufacturing at the highest level.
ZXMOTO motorcycle made to 'compete at high level': racing team leader
China has stepped up efforts to optimize the layout of its future industries since the beginning of the year, with breakthroughs accelerating in frontier technologies from advanced robotics to orbiting data centers.
In 2026, a series of landmark projects have taken shape across the country. In Beijing, preparations are underway for the country's first space computing innovation center. The areas of research at the center will aim to gradually relocate ground-based data centers to outer space to enable data collection, processing and output in orbit. China has also issued plans to accelerate the development and improvement of the space computing industrial ecosystem this year.
In Shanghai, the world's first pilot platform for humanoid robot components is taking shape. By establishing small-scale trial production lines for five categories of components, including reducers, the platform offers 72 testing and verification services, significantly lowering the development threshold for humanoid robots.
Since the beginning of 2026, China has launched over 100 innovation and research tasks for future industries through its open competition mechanism, focusing on general artificial intelligence, quantum technology, atomic-level manufacturing and clean low-carbon hydrogen energy. Key areas of application have been identified, while manufacturing innovation centers and pilot platforms in priority fields have been established to speed up the translation of cutting-edge technologies from laboratories to production lines.
The momentum is also evident in the clean energy sector. In north China's Shanxi Province, hydrogen-powered shared bicycles have hit urban streets, while more than 15,000 hydrogen heavy-duty trucks operate on logistics routes. Local authorities are also planning several cross-provincial hydrogen logistics corridors.
To sustain this growth, China will implement tiered nurturing for unicorn enterprises and specialized, sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises in key sectors this year. The country will also advance the development of future industry pilot zones based on local industrial strengths. To date, some 54,000 innovative businesses nationwide have settled into the country's 193 innovative industrial clusters.
China accelerates layout of future industries in 2026
