BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The recent historic double victory by Chinese motorcycle maker ZXMOTO in the World Supersport category at the Portuguese round of the Superbike World Championship has put Zhang Xue, the man behind the company, in the spotlight in the global motorsports world.

Across China, the victory has sparked lively social media discussions about Zhang's underdog story. He began as a teenage apprentice in a motorcycle repair shop and spent years pursuing his dream of building the fastest motorcycle through persistent trial and error.

Apart from a discussion focused on Zhang's success stemming from his passion and tenacity for what he does, ZXMOTO's rapid rise has also prompted broader economic reflections on the strength of Chinese manufacturing that has underpinned the company's rise to prominence.

ZXMOTO made history as its victory marked the first time a Chinese manufacturer had successfully challenged the long-standing dominance of European and Japanese brands such as Ducati and Yamaha in world-class motorcycle racing. The achievement is all the more striking given that the company, founded by Zhang in April 2024, has risen to prominence in just two years. What explains this rapid rise?

In an interview, Zhang attributed the wins to the bike's core strengths within its class, including strong power output, low weight and a low center of gravity, and the outstanding racing skills of Valentin Debise, the French rider. Beyond that, it is also due to the depth of innovation and a highly competitive motorcycle manufacturing industrial chain in China, according to Zhang.

As an indicator of the company's innovation investment, Zhang revealed at ZXMOTO's partner conference earlier this year that the company's R&D investment hit 69.58 million yuan (about 10 million U.S. dollars) in 2025, with the company's R&D to sales ratio at a significantly high level of 9.33 percent.

Speaking to Xinhua, Portuguese motorcycle expert Rui Belmonte said that ZXMOTO's achievement demonstrates that Chinese brands can now compete at the highest level of motorsport, adding that Chinese motorcycles are increasingly competitive globally in terms of technology, design and reliability.

The company's focus on innovation is a microcosm of China's rising investment in innovation, particularly from the private sector. Official data showed that the country's R&D investment hit a record high in 2025, exceeding 3.92 trillion yuan and reaching 2.8 percent of GDP. In 2024, R&D expenditure of China's top 1,000 private enterprises reached 1.43 trillion yuan, up 2.78 percent year on year.

ZXMOTO's headline-grabbing success has also drawn attention to Chongqing, widely known as China's "motorcycle capital" and home to the company's base. The dense industrial network in the southwestern Chinese city, which boasts over 50 vehicle manufacturers and more than 400 component suppliers, enables rapid prototyping and mass production.

As Chongqing, along with other regions in China, rolls out supportive policies to build competitive industrial ecosystems through a high-quality business environment, a strong talent pool and targeted tax and fee incentives, the burden on enterprises is being reduced, paving the way for greater innovation.

In Chongqing, a complete industrial ecosystem means motorbike companies can source every part, from engines to screws, within the local market, significantly cutting costs and time. "Every component needed to build a bike is right here," Zhang said. As he himself put it, Chongqing has not only given him the "soil" to build motorcycles, but also the confidence to build them well.

ZXMOTO also exemplifies a typical case that has benefited from cross-regional cooperation amid China's push for building a unified national market. Beyond Chongqing, ZXMOTO's partner companies and research institutions are spread across the country as the company leverages the strengths of high-level R&D and precision manufacturing clusters in the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions.

For Zhang's company, the free flow of resources, the foundation of Chongqing's motorcycle manufacturing industry, combined with financial investment flowing in from east China's Zhejiang Province, has jointly bolstered ZXMOTO's success.

Amid the ZXMOTO buzz, a burgeoning niche market related to motorcycle culture is also under the spotlight.

Being the world's largest motorcycle market in terms of both production and sales data, China has an entire motorcycle supply chain valued at nearly 500 billion yuan. Data from the China Chamber of Commerce for Motorcycle (CCCM) shows that production and sales in 2025 reached 22.11 million and 21.97 million units, respectively, both growing more than 10 percent year on year.

Highlighting the motorcycle market's trends toward digitalization and green development, Li Bin, CCCM executive vice president, said that motorcycles in China are rapidly evolving from simple means of transportation into recreational products, while innovations such as fast-charging batteries and smart riding aids are transforming them into intelligent two-wheeled platforms.

On social media, motorcycle-related short videos often garner millions of likes, reflecting how motorcycle culture is becoming a form of social expression, particularly among young people. "Modern bikes are more like smart toys for adults," said Huang Yalin, a Gen Z motorcycle enthusiast from Chongqing.

In 2025, the production and sales of large-displacement (250cc and above) leisure and recreational motorcycles in China reached 953,700 and 952,300 units, respectively, representing year-on-year growth of 23.3 percent and 25.87 percent. These growth rates significantly outpaced the global average for the large-displacement motorcycle market.

According to analysts, more efforts are still needed to nurture strong, established Chinese brands through the provision of high-end motorcycles.

CCCM President Zuo Zongshen said in the face of electrification and intelligentization, the motorcycle industry must keep pace with the times through strengthening innovations and industrial upgrading. ■