The founder of Chinese motorcycle brand Zhangxue has followed through on a widely discussed promise by chartering a flight during the Mid-Autumn Festival period and taking nearly 200 employees and suppliers to Italy to watch a round of the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in person.
Video released on Sept 25 showed the company head traveling with a delegation of about 200 people, including research-and-development staff and supply-chain partners. About 170 people departed together on the charter flight, while roughly 30 others made their own way to Italy and joined the group there. The founder's son, Zhang Qingtian, also joined the trip.
The team attended the Italian round of the WorldSBK season, described as the 10th stop on the calendar and a key stage in the title run-in. Rider Derbis competed at the event on a bike representing Zhangxue.
A person in charge of Zhangxue's R&D work said employees on the development and production lines often face intense workloads and that the overseas trip was intended as both motivation and a staff benefit. By watching track action up close, engineers and frontline workers could see a racing machine they helped build competing at an international venue and experience the atmosphere of a top-level motorsport event.
Earlier this year, Zhangxue drew attention after the brand achieved two wins in the WorldSSP category at the WorldSBK Portugal round in March, a result described as a breakthrough for a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer in the series. WorldSBK is regarded as a major global motorcycle racing championship in which the bikes are based on production models with limited modifications, making it an important platform for manufacturers to showcase real-world technology.
Zhangxue's 820RR three-cylinder sportbike was launched in 2026. The model was later adapted for racing and entered into the WorldSBK competition. The championship-winning version of the 820RR made its first appearance in Hong Kong on May 17.
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