- Hangzhou-based motocycle maker beats Yamaha, KTM and Honda rivals at Red Bull Romaniacs
- Racing success highlights China’s shift from follower to global motorcycle contender
CFMoto (春风动力), a Hangzhou-based motorcycle maker, secured a historic triple victory at the 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs hard enduro race, one of the world’s most demanding off-road motorcycle competitions.
Held from July 28 to August 1 in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains, the event saw CFMoto riders win all three major categories — Ultimate, Core and Lite — marking the best performance ever by a Chinese motorcycle brand in the race’s history.
Known as one of the toughest “hell tracks” in motorsports, Red Bull Romaniacs requires riders to navigate extreme wilderness terrain featuring steep climbs, mud, rocks and unpredictable weather.
The completion rate has remained below 50% in many editions, making it a major test of both rider endurance and vehicle reliability.
The five-day race covered more than 600 kilometers and attracted competitors from 58 countries and regions.
Head-to-head competition
CFMoto went head-to-head with established global motorcycle names including Yamaha, KTM, Honda and BMW.
In the top-tier Ultimate category, CFMoto ambassador and Spanish rider Mario Román claimed the championship with a winning margin of 14 minutes and 40 seconds.
René Corena won the Core category, while Chris Boulton finished third. In the Lite category, Chinese rider He Guishu became the first Chinese champion in the event’s history.
The motorcycles used in the competition were modified from production models, featuring CFMoto’s independently developed 450cc twin-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. The race bikes weigh just 185 kilograms.
CFMoto said the results reflected more than a decade of product development and global market expansion.
From racetracks to global markets
The Red Bull Romaniacs victory adds to CFMoto’s growing presence in international motorsports.
In June, the company’s CFMoto Aspar racing team won the Moto3 category at the Hungarian MotoGP round, while its two Moto2 riders finished inside the top five.
Later that month, the team also secured two ESBK Moto4 championships, along with a Moto2 runner-up finish and a Moto3 third-place result.
Beyond racing, CFMoto has built a strong position in overseas markets. The company has maintained a leading position in Europe’s all-terrain vehicle (ATV) market for several years, with its market share in Romania remaining above 60%.
‘Race-to-road’ strategy
The triple championship in Romania reflects CFMoto’s “race-to-road” development strategy.
Data collected from extreme racing conditions helps improve production models, allowing consumer motorcycles to combine everyday usability with higher performance.
Racing technologies also feed back into the broader supply chain, pushing local component suppliers to upgrade capabilities.
For global motorcycle markets, CFMoto’s rise signals a shift in the competitive landscape.
From its early beginnings in Zhejiang to winning on Europe’s toughest off-road stage, the company is using elite racing competitions to prove that Chinese motorcycle brands are no longer simply catching up — they are competing directly with the industry’s traditional leaders.
