CF Moto set to enter the World Superbike Championship: “The Japanese need to wake up”

SPEEDWEEK.com met Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez, who is responsible for the sporting affairs of the Chinese brand CF Moto, at the SBK finale in Jerez. Read the first of three parts of this major exclusive interview to find out why the Spaniard is convinced that Chinese brands will play a key role in the future and will overtake the Japanese.

Aspar, what were you doing in Jerez at the Superbike World Championship? I was there with my friends from CF Moto. We’re working, observing and talking to riders and teams, and gathering information for the future, which I believe is important. CF Moto would like to be represented in both the Superbike and MotoGP classes one day.

That reminds me of the saying: ‘If you try to do too much, you’ll achieve nothing.’ If you were to tell me that they want to achieve everything by next year, I’d agree with you that it’s not feasible. But as recently as the last French Grand Prix at Le Mans, the owner of CF Moto met with Carmelo and Carlos Ezpeleta and told them that CF Moto isn’t just passing through; we intend to stay for many years and compete in both Superbike and MotoGP. But that takes time, and that’s what we’re working on.

Jorge «Aspar» Martinez

Foto: gold & goose

Do all of CF Moto’s sporting plans go through Aspar? As far as the sporting side is concerned, managing riders and teams is my area of expertise, and what I focus on most. The racing department is part of CF Moto and is based in Italy, in Rimini. There’s a team of highly competent people there. The aim is to expand the project, even though it’s still in its early stages.

So are the technical and operational departments based in Italy? And you look after the sporting side of things? We’re responsible for the track operations, the team and the riders. The technical side, on the other hand, should, in my opinion, be based in Italy. At the moment, that’s the ideal place to work in MotoGP: Aprilia, Ducati, Yamaha and Honda are all there; KTM is in Austria. That’s why I think it’s right for the racing division to be based in Italy.

Thanks to your set-up, CF Moto plays a very important role in the MotoGP World Championship, and yet you’re telling me that they want to enter the World Superbike Championship with their own bikes. Isn’t that a contradiction? No , I think it’s logical. They’re building the project and starting to shape their future. As you say, their presence in Moto3 and Moto2 has been – and remains – second to none, I’d say. On the other hand, I’d like to remind you that they’ve bought Kalex. They’re moving in a direction that strikes me as the right one. As you’ve seen, they’ve unveiled the V4 RR. It’s a stunning motorbike, and I’ve also tested it and can say that the prototype runs incredibly well. I believe a much more refined model will be unveiled at EICMA, set to hit the market next year; two different versions are planned. But CF Moto is much more than that: they have a spectacular product range, stretching from electric and petrol scooters right through to trial motorbikes.

CF Moto will als erster chinesischer Hersteller in die Superbike-WM

Foto: cfmoto

If you were Japanese, would you be concerned about the growth of Chinese brands? Absolutely . One of the major differences with CF Moto is the speed at which the company operates. I know the Japanese very well too: I’ve worked with Yamaha, and they’re incredibly good, but very meticulous and slow. The world has changed dramatically, and they need to wake up. Today, everything happens straight away: today, it’s all about being ready for tomorrow – or, in fact, it should already have been the case yesterday. I believe China has woken up in this respect, and that’s a good thing, because competition is forcing the others to take action.

In the SBK paddock, the Chinese presence is already causing a stir. And that’s excellent news. I’ll tell you more: I believe that in just three years’ time we’ll see several Chinese brands in the World Superbike Championship. In MotoGP, it’s a completely different league, because of the investment required and, above all, the technology and the people needed to drive such a project forward. Superbike is challenging, but it’s more accessible both financially and technically. In MotoGP, there are very few people capable of developing a project at this level.

Would they have to rely on capable people, hire capable engineers? Exactly . If you want to make rapid progress, you have to hire the best. If there’s no rush, the process can involve building a project whilst learning from mistakes; but that takes longer.

Perhaps it’s more expensive to take things slowly than to hire someone who already knows the ropes? Undoubtedly . That’s the easiest and quickest way: buying in expertise. It costs more initially, but you make fewer mistakes and make faster progress. The problem is that there are very few people with this experience, and they aren’t exactly in abundance either.