CFMoto Opens Rimini Racing Base With MotoGP in Its Sights

CFMoto has taken a concrete step towards a future in MotoGP. The Chinese manufacturer confirmed this month that it is setting up a dedicated racing technology centre in Rimini, in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, and that a MotoGP project is part of its long-term plans. Samantha Liu, general manager of CFMoto's Motorsports Management Centre, told Visordown that work on the facility is under way, but she gave no date for a premier-class entry.

"It's going to be a long way, and we are prepared to be patient," Liu said. That line sums up a story that is as much about intent as it is about timing. CFMoto wants to be in MotoGP; it does not intend to rush.

What has been announced

The Rimini centre sits a little over an hour from Bologna, the home of Ducati, in the heartland of Italian motorcycle engineering. Liu stressed that it is not a standalone race team. Instead, it sits beside CFMoto's existing research and development and industrial design team in the same area, and the two groups will work together. She also said MotoGP is not the only focus, because the work will feed several racing and product programmes.

• Location: Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, just over an hour from Bologna.
• Purpose: a racing technology centre supporting several programmes, not only MotoGP.
• Setting: alongside CFMoto's existing European R&D and design team.
• Timeline: none given; Liu said CFMoto is prepared to be patient.
• Current presence: Moto3 since 2022, plus Moto2 through its partnership with the Aspar team.

Why entry is not imminent

There is a structural reason why CFMoto cannot simply appear on the grid next year. Earlier in 2026, all five current MotoGP manufacturers, Ducati, Aprilia, Honda, Yamaha and KTM, signed a commercial agreement with the championship that runs until 2031. That locks in the existing structure for several seasons and means any new manufacturer has to find a route in through negotiation, not just engineering.

Crash.net pointed to the Aspar relationship as a possible path. Team owner Jorge Martinez "Aspar" has said CFMoto has its eye on MotoGP. CFMoto replaced GasGas as Aspar's title sponsor in 2024, extending its presence from Moto3 into Moto2. That switch grew out of older industrial links: Aspar had run as the official GasGas team backed by Pierer Mobility, the group that owned KTM, and that group had a partnership with CFMoto, which built engines for cheaper KTM road bikes.

More than MotoGP

CFMoto's racing plans also stretch into the production-based world. From 2027 it will replace Yamaha as the bike supplier for WorldWCR, the women's championship that runs in the World Superbike paddock. It is also preparing the V4 SR-RR, a 212bhp sports bike that set a Chinese combustion-engine motorcycle top speed record of 196.2mph in June, according to Visordown. Liu said the company is happy with the V4 as a road product and promised an answer "very soon" on whether it will become a World Superbike machine.

On its identity, Liu was firm. "We want to be a brand that is CFMoto, and we focus on our strategy," she said, adding that the company has "our own pace to follow". That matters because CFMoto is not the only Chinese manufacturer with premier-class ambitions. Visordown noted that ZXMoto, which has been performing strongly in the Supersport World Championship, is also thought to be interested in MotoGP.

What it means for MotoGP

For MotoGP, a sixth manufacturer would be welcome. The grid has been stable at five factories since Suzuki's exit at the end of 2022, and new entrants bring investment, new markets and fresh engineering competition. China is one of the biggest motorcycle markets in the world, and a credible Chinese factory on the grid would carry obvious commercial weight for the championship's new owners.

The challenge is enormous, though. Building a competitive MotoGP prototype takes years of work, and the 2027 switch to 850cc engines and Pirelli tyres shows how much the target can move. A newcomer arriving after 2027 would at least join a rule set that is still young, which may be one reason CFMoto is laying foundations now.

• CFMoto would be the first Chinese manufacturer in MotoGP, unless ZXMoto gets there first.
• The current manufacturers' agreement runs until 2031.
• The Aspar partnership gives CFMoto an established team structure in the paddock.
• A WorldSBK decision on the V4 SR-RR is expected soon.

For fans in Asia, where the MotoGP calendar includes rounds in Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia, a Chinese factory would be a significant addition. For now, the Rimini centre is a statement of intent rather than a timetable, and CFMoto is making clear that it will move at its own speed.

How to read the next chapter

The result or announcement in CFMoto Opens Rimini Racing Base With MotoGP in Its Sights should be placed in the full MotoGP weekend rather than judged on a headline alone. Practice conditions, qualifying position and tyre choice all shape the opportunities available in a sprint or Grand Prix. A rider starting from the front may have a clear line into the first corner; another may spend laps working through traffic despite comparable underlying pace. Compare the official classification with the race sequence before deciding which performance was strongest. A fall, technical problem or penalty can change points without proving a rider suddenly lost speed.

Bike setup is another part of the story that cannot be read straight from the finishing order. Teams balance braking stability, turning and acceleration for a particular circuit, and a setting that works in a short sprint may produce very different tyre wear over a full race distance. For CFMoto Opens Rimini Racing Base With MotoGP in Its Sights, look at the rider's pace across several laps and at the moment the gap opened or closed. That helps distinguish a genuine performance advantage from a temporary phase created by track position or a rival's mistake.

The following round offers the best test of whether this is a continuing trend. A circuit with long braking zones rewards a different balance from one with fast direction changes, and weather can alter the available grip within minutes. Team and rider announcements should be read alongside the official MotoGP schedule and timing results. If a planned technical change or contract move is involved, its practical effect may not be visible until the relevant bike is tested. It is better to identify that uncertainty than to treat an announcement as an on-track result.