CF Moto in the World Superbike Championship: Why no rider has been signed yet

In 2027, the Superbike and Supersport World Championships will make their debut in China: the season finale at the end of October will take place in the metropolis of Shanghai. CF Moto aims to be on the starting grid by then at the latest, becoming the first Chinese brand to compete in the top class of the production-based World Motorcycle Championship.

Pictures of the CF Moto V4 SR-RR have been doing the rounds for months, and the bike made headlines during a high-speed test in which it was clocked at 315.82 km/h – figures on a par with a Ducati Panigale V4R! In early November, the 2027 model will be unveiled at EICMA, Europe’s largest motorbike trade fair in Milan, and will be available in two versions.

In terms of organisation, CF Moto is structured so that its European research and development centre in Rimini, Italy, is responsible for the technology behind the future racing machine. Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez, who is already a partner of CF Moto in the Moto2 and Moto3 World Championships, is in charge of racing operations.

Aspar must make a key decision in the coming weeks: will he join forces with an existing team to enter the Superbike World Championship, or will he set up a team of his own? Talks with the Go Eleven and AS teams have come to nothing, whilst the situation with Marc VDS remains unclear. CF Moto will compete as a works team, but Marc VDS intends to preserve the legacy of Marc van der Straten – who passed away in July 2026 – through the team’s name and bike design. Another factor working against an alliance with an existing team is that Martinez would then have to give up a slice of his share of the pie.

SPEEDWEEK.com met with Aspar at the SBK finale in Jerez and caught up on the latest developments. Read part 2 of 3 of the major exclusive interview.

Jorge, are you involved in selecting CF Moto’s riders for the World Superbike Championship? CF Moto isn’t officially represented in the championship yet. When the time comes, I’ll be making decisions regarding CF Moto’s riders and structure. Hopefully that time will come soon, but we’re not at that stage yet.

Will there be an Aspar team in this championship? That could well be the case in the future.

In the future? The season has only just ended – the future is in February. It’s impossiblefor February. I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it by the end of next year; there’s no fixed date yet.

Vor 20 Jahren: Jorge Martinez (li.) mit Alvaro Bautista

Foto: gold & goose

I’ll give you a name that’s on everyone’s lips when it comes to CF Moto: Alvaro Bautista. A former rider of yours in the 125cc and 250cc World Championships. Lots of riders have phoned me about a test rider role, even some from other classes, but we’re not at that stage yet. We’re waiting for the structure, the test team and a suitable work plan to be in place. It makes no sense to sign a rider now when everything isn’t ready yet.

Is there a difference between a test rider and a development rider? Yes , there’s a big difference. The development rider works with a motorbike that isn’t quite ready yet and helps to develop it further – for example, until it’s two seconds off the target. Once the motorbike is already close to the mark, you need a test rider who can provide much more technical and precise results and data to find that final second or one and a half seconds – that’s the hardest part. In the first phase, any rider can help us, so to speak. Later on, we’ll need more specialised riders.

Is that similar to the situation at KTM with Dani Pedrosa? Pedrosa is well-suited to this final phase, when the bike is already largely fully developed. He’s a perfectionist and, from a technical point of view, probably one of the best test riders around. During his time in the 125cc and 250cc classes, I criticised him for his height and weight, as they gave him an advantage. When he moved up to MotoGP, I took my hat off to him. What used to be an advantage has now worked against him, and yet he has proved that he is a top-class rider.

Die CF Moto V4SR-RR

Foto: CF Moto