Chinese motorcycle manufacturer ZXMOTO secured another strong podium finish in Race 1 of the World Supersport (WorldSSP) class at the French round of the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) on Saturday, adding to a successful season that already includes victories in Portugal, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Italy.
French rider Valentin Debise rode ZXMOTO's 820RR-RS to a third place on home soil, while his teammate Federico Caricasulo placed fifth.
The result keeps Debise firmly second in the riders' standings with 225 points, while ZXMOTO remains third in the manufacturers' standings with 227 points. Race 2 of the French round is scheduled for Sunday local time.
Despite the podium finish, Debise expressed slight disappointment post-race, believing the motorcycle had the potential for an even better result. He acknowledged making a mistake in the early stages of the race.
"Ultimately, the positive thing is that, despite the circumstances and the fact that I was far back after making those mistakes, I kept my head down and did my best to fight my way back and finished third," said Debise.
ZXMOTO Team Manager Fabio Evangelista praised the machine's performance, highlighting its parity with established industry giants.
"Our bike, and ZXMOTO with this 820RR, showed that the Chinese products, especially in terms of motorcycles, are at the same level of European or Japanese [products], and maybe better, because we are fighting for the title. That means that the product really performs very well and is a very quality product. This is the feeling of the people in Europe, because [after] talking with many people, I have received from them this kind of feeling," said Evangelista.
Chinese brand ZXMOTO secures another podium finish at WSBK French round
A super El Nino event officially formed in September 2026, monitoring data from China's National Climate Center showed on Friday.
Zhao Junhu, chief forecaster at the center, said that the equatorial central and eastern Pacific entered an El Nino state in May this year, with sea surface temperatures in the key monitoring region rising rapidly and continuously from May to September.
The three-month running mean of the sea surface temperature (SST) index in the monitoring region has remained above 0.5 degrees Celsius for five consecutive months. The index exceeded 2.5 degrees Celsius for the July-September period, meeting the threshold for a super El Nino event.
The event is classified as an eastern Pacific-type El Nino, in which the warmest sea surface temperatures are concentrated in the equatorial eastern Pacific.
Monitoring data showed that sea surface temperatures across most of the equatorial Pacific in September were above average of the same period, with temperatures in the warm pool of the eastern Pacific exceeding the climatological average by more than 3 degrees Celsius.
The SST index for the monitoring region reached 2.94 degrees Celsius in September, up 0.35 degrees Celsius from August. The average index for the July-September period stood at 2.54 degrees Celsius.
Based on a combination of domestic and international dynamical climate models and statistical forecasting methods, the center expects sea surface temperatures in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific to continue rising over the next three months, peaking in late autumn or early winter, Zhao said.
The event is expected to become the strongest El Nino on record since systematic monitoring began, he added.
Super El Nino event formed in September: China's National Climate Center
Super El Nino event formed in September: China's National Climate Center
