A bombshell: the Women’s World Championship (WorldWCR) to feature bikes from China from 2027

In most sports, there has always been a distinction between men and women due to physical differences. In motor racing, this was not the case for a long time, even though it is also a very physical sport. Whilst there has been a separate women’s world championship in motocross since 2005, it was not introduced on the circuit until 2024.

At the request of the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), promoter Dorna took on the ‘Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship’ – as it is known in English (WorldWCR for short) – with all its races taking place as part of the Superbike World Championship. This was made possible by securing Yamaha as a partner, which provides the motorbikes and contributes to the overall costs.

Ana Carrasco, who in 2018 became the first woman to win a solo world championship in the Supersport 300 class on a circuit, also triumphed in the first Women’s World Championship in 2024. The Spaniard subsequently moved up to the Supersport World Championship, where Maria Herrera claimed the gold medal in 2025. The 30-year-old is also leading the current championship; ahead of the final races in Jerez in mid-October, she has a 44-point lead over Beatriz Neila – and there are only 50 points left to be won.

The Women’s World Championship has developed into an entertaining series, with the level of competition rising from season to season. To keep costs as low as possible – as the championship is not yet ready for an open regulations format allowing free choice of manufacturer – the 2027 season will also feature standardised bikes.

However, as SPEEDWEEK.com has discovered, these will no longer be supplied by Yamaha: from next season onwards, the riders will compete on standardised bikes from the Chinese manufacturer CF Moto!

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For promoter Liberty (formerly Dorna), this has the advantage that the Women’s World Championship will require less financial support. Furthermore, with the arrival of CF Moto, the number of participating manufacturers in the SBK paddock will rise from 13 to 14, even before the Chinese brand enters the Superbike World Championship.

It is not yet known which bike CF Moto will field. The most likely candidate is the production model 675SR-R, whose three-cylinder engine produces just under 90 PS.