QJMotor Could be Planning First Foray into WorldSBK

Chinese manufacturer QJMotor is interested in joining the World Superbike Championship, but not before presenting a new World Supersport motorcycle which is expected in the middle of next season.

QJMotor’s involvement in racing has become larger in recent seasons, as it also sponsors the Gresini Racing Moto2 team, which clinched its first win in the series at the Japanese Grand Prix a few weeks ago at Motegi.

Also in 2024, QJMotor made its Supersport debut with a one-rider team that included Raffaele De Rosa as its rider. The motorcycle used by QJMotor in 2024 was the SRK 800  but midway through next season it is expected that the new SRK 800 RR will debut in the class.

De Rosa failed to secure a top 15 (points-scoring position) finish in 22 appearances for QJMotor in 2024, so it’s not exactly a bold statement when I say refining its middleweight sportbike is needed before a jump up to World Superbike.

But that’s precisely what QJMotor is aiming to do in 2026 which would make it the first Chinese brand to ever race in World Superbike if it happens.

A jump to World Superbike would be anything but a walk in the park though, as we’ve seen recently, full-factory returns to the class, such as BMW and Honda take a considerable amount of time to get up and running, and more importantly competitive..

BMW did that in 2024 as it won the title for the first time in its history, thanks in a very large part to Toprak Razgatlioglu, but prior to the Turkish rider joining the Bavarian brand, winning for BMW and Honda since returning with a full factory team was non-existent.

QJMotor is quite new to racing, especially at this level, so becoming more competitive in World Supersport is the right approach before launching itself into the Superbike class against the likes of Ducati, Yamaha and Kawasaki, who like BMW in 2024, have been consistent winners in the last two seasons.

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