Chinese Maker ZXMOTO to Field Oliver and Horgmo in MXGP

Chinese motorcycle manufacturer ZXMOTO has officially announced, at the EICMA show in Milan, that it will compete in the MXGP motocross world championship in 2027. The factory programme will be run next season by the JM Racing team, with Spain's Oriol Oliver and Norway's Kevin Horgmo as the riders.

Oliver leaves SS24 Gabriel KTM

Oliver spent this year, his first in the MXGP class, with the SS24 Gabriel KTM team. His best result in a single race round was ninth, at the Trentino round, and he finished 16th overall. Before that he rode several years in the lower MX2 class, where his best finish at individual rounds was fourth and his best overall standing was eighth, in 2024.

Horgmo after a period of uncertainty

Horgmo spent the last three seasons with SR Motoblouz Honda. After a period in which his future was unclear, the Norwegian agreed a deal with ZXMOTO and will join the team in 2027. It will be his fourth season in MXGP. His best result at an individual round so far is fifth, and his best overall standing is eighth, in his debut season in 2024. This year he placed 13th.

A young manufacturer

ZXMOTO is a company from Chongqing founded in 2024. Its founder, Zhang Xi, is one of the co-founders and main originators of the Kove brand. The brand has been focused on high-performance sport motorcycles from the start.

The manufacturer has already appeared on the world motorsport stage: together with the Evan Bros Racing team, it became the first Chinese manufacturer to win races and take podiums in the World Supersport Championship (WorldSSP). After that success, the company has turned its attention to motocross.