And if China were to save the SSP300?

Imola brought the first historic world championship points for a Chinese manufacturer, with Marc Garcia finishing race 1 in eighth place and collecting a first 8 points for the Kove brand. Up until now, the constructor - founded in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, but now with two factories in China, in Chongqing and Chengdu - had only entrusted its bikes to Chinese riders. But with no experience in Europe, this was slowing the development and particularly the competitiveness of the bike. At Imola, the 321RR was ridden by Marc Garcia who immediately scored points and closed just two seconds from the podium.

A 2023 with various surprises

The SSP300 is undoubtedly the least followed category of the SBK circus but it’s also the most discussed and criticised. The fatal accidents of Dean Berta Vinales and Victor Steeman are gradually leading to a change of regulation that may arrive in 2027, with the 300 class to be replaced by a “Twins” category. And yet KTM still believes the 300 is a category in which to invest, back after a couple of years’ absence, and the same goes for Kove. While KTM is known to the racing world, it has always struggled to take off in the production-derived class. And yet this year we see the KTM RC390R ridden by Dirk Geiger currently leading the championship ahead of Italian Matteo Vannucci. The pair took a win each at Imola and have relaunched their title ambitions. But the Austrian constructor produces all its ‘small’ bikes, the RC390R included, in India, in the Bajaj factory, while production of the 790 Duke is entrused to CF Moto in China.

Before it even lands on the European market later this year, Kove is already making an impact. Last winter, it took part in the Dakar, completing the rally raid with all its bikes and demonstrating real stamina with its products. And then came its debut in SSP300 earlier this year, and in the ESBK too, where it has already won three races with Josè Luis Perez Gonzalez. Now that Marc Garcia is riding the bike in the world championship, the Chinese brand is able to make its mark in the 300 class too. But this is only a first step for Kove, because already next year, the constructor may be competing in SSP600, with SBK to follow a few years down the line.

The East leads the way, Europe responds

Motorcycles of less than 500cc are among the biggest sellers in Italy today, but they also make up the main market share across all of south-east Asia and a good part of Asia. So it will be no surprise if Chinese brands such as Kove or CF Moto, which already competes in in Moto3 with a rebranded KTM, start to shine in the racing world. CF Moto already has a motorcycle with characteristics to suit the category, which was present in a “ready to race” version during the press launch held at the Istanbul Park circuit.

But aside from the Chinese brands, there are also various European manufacturers who are not exactly standing by. In the coming months, most likely at EICMA 2023, Aprilia will present the new Aprilia RS 440. Another bike produced in order to enter the market segment currently dominated by the Ninja 400 and Yamaha R3, the small Noale bike mirrors the features of its 1100 and 660 ‘big sisters’ that already compete in various national and international championships. And rumour has it that another Italian manufacturer - though we’ll probably have to wait for EICMA for confirmation - might also enter the 400cc sports segment, boosting the SSP300 grid and perhaps even extending its lifespan.