INFLUENCER

Twenty-five years later, Zhang Xue followed his racing dreams to the finish line not as a rider, but as a motorcycle designer. On March 28-29, Zhang led his ZXMOTO team to victory in the World Supersport category at the Portugal round of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK). It was the first time a Chinese design had won a top-tier international motorcycle race.　

Born in 1987 in an impoverished mountainous county in Hunan, Zhang dropped out of school at 14 following his parents' divorce and worked in a relative's repair shop. At 19, determined to get his big break, he rode more than 100 kilometers through rain and mountain roads to chase down a crew from Hunan TV shooting a documentary.　

Drenched and shivering, he pleaded with journalists: "I'll do anything. Wash clothes, cook, fix bikes. I don't have money and I don't know anyone. I just want a chance so I can join a professional motorcycle team."　

That moment changed his life. After the footage aired, he was noticed by a professional racing team and began his career both as a rider and a mechanic.　

He later worked for Zhejiang Province-based motorcycle maker Apollo, competed in amateur races and gradually built a name for himself. In 2017, he co-founded racing team Kovo Moto and led it to the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in 2023, making them the first all- Chinese crew to compete in the race.　

In 2024, he launched his own brand, ZXMOTO. Just two years later, ZXMOTO made this historic WSBK win, challenging the long-standing dominance of European, American and Japanese manufacturers.　

Following the victory, clips of Zhang drenched on that Hunan mountain road resurfaced. For many, his story is proof that perseverance can take a dream from a rural workshop to the world stage.