Frenchman Debise is a star in China: "I never wanted to be famous!"

ZX Moto rider Valentin Debise and world championship leader Albert Arenas (Yamaha) fought a thrilling duel in the first Supersport race in Misano right up to the last lap. Debise started the race from third on the grid, while world championship leader Albert Arenas had the better starting position as second in qualifying. Debise got off to a good start and was able to stay in the top three at the beginning. A three-way battle developed between him, Öncü and Arenas.

Arenas and Debise were able to pull away from the second half of the race. At the start of the last third of the race, the two had a lead of 2.3 seconds. Debise overtook the leader Arenas on the last lap. The Spaniard countered, but Debise then took the better line on the last corner and crossed the finish line a tenth of a second ahead of Arenas.

Valentin Debise took his sixth win of the season in Misano. He also gave his team Evan Bros Racing from Italy a home win. "I love coming to Italy with an Italian team," said a delighted Debise. "People have been coming up to me all day to talk to me. We are constantly travelling, the team feels at home here. I can feel it in the pits, everyone is relaxed. That makes a driver feel good."

Valentin Debise und Albert Arenas

Foto: WorldSBK

At what point in the race did Debise realise that he could win today? "At first I wasn't sure how good my pace was. I had my problems in this respect this weekend," mused the 34-year-old. "We then made changes to the bike and I was able to build up a good speed at the start of the race. I didn't expect to be able to keep up at the start. I thought that a gap would open up and that I would only be able to catch up at the end. Then, three laps before the end, I saw that Arenas' bike was starting to slip a bit. I, on the other hand, felt comfortable and waited until the last lap to try an overtaking manoeuvre. Albert was very strong throughout the race."

Did he have more reserves in terms of tyres at the end of the race? "I don't know if it was just the tyres. I think it has more to do with the bike set-up. The team always prepares a setup that is designed for the end of the race," explained Debise. "I felt better at the end. It's more about how the suspension harmonises with the tyres. That helps me to have more speed."

Debise also set the fastest race lap, meaning that the ZX Moto rider will start Sunday's race from pole position. "It's cool to have set the fastest race lap. I think I'm leading the rankings with the fastest race laps. I don't know if there is a BMW to be won. But even if there's only a packet of chocolate, I'll take it," laughed Debise. "But I was surprised that there were only two of us at the front today. I would have expected a bigger group. We have to stay calm and see what kind of opportunity we get tomorrow."

Debise has become a celebrity in China since riding for ZX Moto and achieving so much success with the new manufacturer, which joined in 2026. Many Chinese people also come to the races to cheer him on. "I never wanted to be famous. But it's nice to see people cheering for you. It's a good feeling."

Valentin Debise was able to overtake Jaume Masia (Ducati) in the championship standings. He is now 38 points behind Albert Arenas in first place.