The secret behind ZX Moto and Valentin Debise: trust, luck, Caricasulo

Hardly anyone would have expected the Chinese manufacturer ZX Moto to make such a debut in the 2026 Supersport World Championship. The company, which was only founded in 2024, developed a three-cylinder engine in-house and fitted it into a sporty chassis. The bike, which was homologated just before the start of the season, is known as the 820RR.

The abbreviation ZX stands for the company’s founder, Zhang Xue. The Chinese entrepreneur was familiar with the production-based World Championship from his time at Kove and identified the top team Evan Bros as the best possible partner for the debut – the Italian team accepted the challenge and signed up two well-known riders for the project, Valentin Debise and Federico Caricasulo, with whom they already had ties through Yamaha.

Debise did not hesitate when brothers Fabio and Paolo Evangelista invited him to help shape the new project. “I have enormous confidence in Evan Bros. When I looked at the motorbike, and because I know the mentality of the team and also of the Chinese, I thought it was possible that together we could achieve something incredible,” the Frenchman explained his motivation in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com editor-in-chief Ivo Schützbach. “Those were my thoughts, and it was with that mindset that I went into the first test. We were five seconds off the lap record, but I was still blown away and said that we could be up there with the leaders right from the start.”

Debise was right: as early as Phillip Island, the 34-year-old set the third-fastest time in qualifying. And at the European season opener in Portimão, the ZX-Moto rider secured a flawless one-two finish. With three race weekends still to go, Debise sits second in the overall standings with six wins and seven podium finishes. “I just had a feeling and put the pressure on within the team. The lads are just like me – they just keep going and going,” said the veteran, praising his team. “We didn’t expect to be strong in the first race. However, we did reckon we could win a race in our first year. A bit of luck is part of it, but we’ve earned what we’ve achieved.”

Whilst Debise got on brilliantly with the Chinese bike and already has his contract for 2027 in the bag, his team-mate Federico Caricasulo only secured his first top-five finish at Magny-Cours and is still waiting to prove himself. Debise is sticking up for the Italian. “I’m praying that Federico will still be my team-mate in 2027. We’re the best team there is and we help each other out. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I’ve done,” Debise revealed. “I have great respect for him and for what he’s done for me. I’m pushing for him to stay. Sometimes he tries things out for me. If it works, he passes it on to me. But if it doesn’t work, he ends up with a ruined practice session. Or on the track too: if I need a slipstream, I get it from him – and vice versa, of course.”

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