China Just Lined Up at MXGP for the First Time — Two Factory Teams Are Coming in 2027

Motocross just got a new source of horsepower, and it's not coming from Austria, Japan, or Italy this time. At the Oriental Beauty Valley MXGP of China on September 12–13, a Chinese-built dirt bike lined up on an MXGP gate for the first time in the championship's history — and it wasn't a one-off stunt. Two more Chinese manufacturers just confirmed they're building full factory teams for 2027 (MXGP).

The bike that broke the seal

JHL Factory Racing, run by Chongqing-based JHL (Chongqing Junchi Motorcycle Co.), fielded two 350cc LX350R machines at its home Grand Prix as a wildcard entry. German rider Brian Hsu and Chinese rider Yuzhang Li qualified into the reduced 14-rider MXGP field and finished 12th and 13th overall — modest results, but the point wasn't the finishing order. It was that a Chinese-built bike had raced a Grand Prix moto at all, something that had never happened in the class before (iChongqing). JHL isn't committing to 2027, but the door it opened isn't closing.

Kove and ZXMoto are walking through it

Kove, the Chongqing manufacturer that built its reputation on Dakar Rally hardware with the 450 Rally, confirmed on August 31 that it will contest the full MXGP class from 2027 with a two-bike factory effort. Tom Steensels — previously running the TBS Conversions KTM outfit — has been named team manager and is overseeing development and rider selection now, with riders and race-spec machinery still to be announced (GateDrop). Kove already sells a production 450 motocrosser, the MX450, in the US for well under $8,000 — a serious undercut on established Japanese and European 450s — so a factory-backed race program is as much a credibility play as a racing one.

ZXMoto, a newer outfit formed in 2024 that's already won races in Supersport World Championship with its 820RR street bike, is aiming for the same full-series commitment with two riders on a 450cc machine described as developed jointly between China and Europe. Racing director Jesús Rincón says the bike is already running, and the program is expected to be operated by JM Racing (Cycle News).

Why it's bigger than two new logos in the paddock

MXGP's premier class has been a closed shop for decades — KTM, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, GasGas, and Husqvarna, full stop. Chinese manufacturers have already reshaped the street-bike and adventure-touring markets with faster development cycles and lower prices; motocross, with its brutal factory-development costs, was one of the last corners those brands hadn't cracked. A factory program at world championship level is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitment with no guarantee of results — Kove and ZXMoto are making it anyway, and JHL's wildcard just proved the bikes can at least make the gate.

None of this changes what shows up in dealer showrooms tomorrow. But if either program starts scoring points in 2027, the ripple reaches every rider shopping for a 450: more competition at the top tends to mean faster trickle-down tech and more pressure on price further down the lineup. Worth watching, especially if you've been eyeing a budget-friendly 450 and wondering whether the cheaper options can actually hang.

Whatever's parked in your garage, the season doesn't stop for paddock politics. Log every ride in BraapTrax, drop a hazard report when the trail throws something new at you, and let your season stats build while the manufacturers sort out who's racing who in 2027.

Sources: MXGP — Two Chinese manufacturers for 2027, iChongqing — JHL takes Chongqing motorcycles to the global racing stage, GateDrop — Kove Factory Racing to enter the GP paddock in 2027, Cycle News — Two Chinese manufacturers eye 2027 MXGP championship.