French rider Valentin Debise (1st from right) in the race Photo: Xinhua

French rider Valentin Debise of Chinese team ZXMOTO powered to a commanding victory in Race 1 of the World Supersport (WorldSSP) category at the Czech Round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship on Saturday, securing his fourth victory of the season. 

The triumph marks yet another milestone for the Chinese brand ZXMOTO in its growing global racing campaign. Debise crossed the finish line with a dominant performance, further cementing his strong form this season after previous victories in Portugal and Hungary. 

Debise said the Yamaha riders had been "really fast" in the early stages and were pushing each other hard, while he needed time to adapt to his bike after pre-race changes. Once he felt more comfortable, he began to gain positions and eventually moved into the lead, Xinhua News Agency reported. 

The French rider said that he kept pushing despite seeing a gap of around three seconds on his pit board. He added that he found "a little bit more" on the final lap, correcting mistakes that he had made earlier in the race and gained enough time to secure victory.

"Big thanks to the ZXMOTO team. They gave me a weapon again today," Debise said. "I'm very pleased with this victory and I hope there will be more to come."

Team owner Zhang Xue celebrated the win enthusiastically on social media, posting a celebratory video and delivering a signature humorous message to the rider: "The Chinese people all know you are very strong. Now I'm giving you a new mission — train a Chinese rider who is even stronger than you, and I'll take care of you in your retirement."

Zhang later joked, "What should I do now that I've started getting used to winning championships?" CCTV News reported. 

Debise, born in February 1992, began his racing journey at 11 and claimed the French 125GP title at 16. After turning professional in WorldSSP in 2012, financial challenges forced him to compete mostly as a wildcard or substitute rider for nearly a decade. 

Since joining ZXMOTO this year, Debise has reached new heights. He swept both races at the Portuguese round in late March and added another victory in Hungary on May 2. His latest triumph in the Czech Republic brings this season tally to four wins. 

In a post-race interview, Debise expressed his appreciation for the growing Chinese fanbase:"I know this championship is getting big in China, so it's very fun to have all the Chinese following me."

He recently opened an account on Chinese social media, and already has "over 1 million followers."

"So we try to do content every day to share our passion and share daily reports. So yeah, it's enjoyable. So many Chinese came to this race again, and they come out to every race. So I very appreciate the support from the Chinese. And I hope one day we can have a race in China," the racer added in the interview with CCTV.

Global Times