After 17 years away, MotoGP's promoter, Dorna Sports, appears to want to put a Chinese Grand Prix back on the calendar, according to sources at Motorsport.com. But the Shanghai GP was shrouded in controversy when it hosted MotoGP races between 2005 and 2008, and the fact that it could come back could touch on another somewhat controversial topic—KTM's future in the sport.
The Shanghai International Circuit was originally supposed to host races from 2005-2011, but its contract was cut short, as the event was plagued with problems. Firstly, attendance and local interest were dismal, and this was mainly down to poor promotion, but there was an even bigger issue. The circuit's former director, Yu Zhifei, was sentenced to four years in prison in January 2008 for embezzling roughly $115,863.
The reason we believe Dorna is making a move to put a Chinese GP back on the calendar is that the CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, and his son, Carlos, the championship’s sporting director, traveled to Shanghai recently. The pair also visited one of CFMoto's manufacturing facilities during the trip, which could indicate a lot about the brand's involvement in the sport going forward, and KTM's as a result.
CFMoto has been aggressively increasing its presence in the sport since its debut in 2022. It's all over Moto2 and Moto3, and even put in a bid to be the sole Moto3 bike supplier from 2028, but Yamaha ultimately came out ahead. Now, it looks like CFMoto could help to promote the series in China ahead of its return, which would likely be in 2027, and in a roundabout way, that could point to KTM's future in the sport.
We know that KTM's new owner, Bajaj, is trimming the fat anywhere it finds it to make the company profitable again, and it's fair to consider that this might include its MotoGP program. KTM has already stated that it would be open to partnering with another company to continue to compete in MotoGP, and CFMoto wants to enter MotoGP. Therefore, two options are fair to assume: we'll either see a rebadged KTM in CFMoto colors or an all-out CFMoto two-bike team in MotoGP in the near future.
According to GPone, recently, a ten-member delegation from CFMoto met at the "House of Brands" in Munderfing to discuss issues with KTM CEO, Gottfried Neumeister. But whether the Chinese brand can afford to buy the whole racing division or just become a partner is yet to be seen. One thing is for sure: the latest CFMoto prototype, the V4 1000 SR-RR, shows the brand is serious about racing in the big leagues.
