Kove is losing its star rider and will have a new sportsbike for 2027

There was a simple reason why Kove was able to hold his own against rivals with significantly larger engine capacities in the 2026 World Sportbike Championship on the 450RR – a year ago, the Chinese manufacturer had no other motorbike in its range. The high-revving four-cylinder motorbike was on a par with the competition at only a few circuits, for example at Assen, where Benat Fernandez set the lap record of 1:42.190 minutes.

Overall, however, the season proved disappointing and the Spaniard scored just 20 World Championship points. Fernandez, however, is regarded as a great talent – having been the last 300cc World Champion (beating Kove) and the 2026 Rookies’ Cup winner – a fact that did not go unnoticed in the GP paddock: the 18-year-old is moving up to the Moto3 World Championship next year.

“Beñat has already built up an impressive racing career. His move to Moto3 marks another important step on the path to his big dream of progressing to MotoGP. We are proud to have played a part in this journey,” reads a team statement. “For KOVE, the pursuit of even better performance never stops. The insights gained from competition continue to drive our race development forward as we prepare for the challenges ahead.”

The challenge facing the Kove Racing Team 109 for the 2027 World Sportbike Championship is multifaceted. It will be difficult to convince a suitable successor for Fernandez to join the Kove project, and the second rider’s seat must also be filled. The new rider duo must also develop a new motorbike, which has been undergoing testing in China for months.

This is the 650RR, which is expected to be unveiled to the public at EICMA. Industry insiders speculate that Kove may have taken inspiration from the Kawasaki ZX-6R 636. The Japanese manufacturer has been successfully using this motorbike in the sportbike and supersport categories, which could well be Kove’s intention as well. Xavi Arigas won the debut season of the entry-level series with a version of the ZX-6R restricted to 90PS; with the unrestricted model, Jeremy Alcoba stormed to third place in the middleweight class of the production-based World Championship with a spectacular World Championship finale.

According to Kove, the 650RR’s inline four-cylinder engine produces around 125 PS at 13,000 rpm, whilst weighing significantly less than its Japanese rivals.