Last-Lap Miracle: ZXMOTO's Valentin Debise Stuns Hungary with Comeback Victory
In one of the most dramatic finishes of the 2026 WorldSSP season, ZXMOTO rider Valentin Debise pulled off a stunning last-lap overtake at Hungary's Balaton Park Circuit, passing two Yamahas in the final twenty seconds to claim his third victory of the campaign. Starting from P5, the Frenchman's fearless charge left the paddock in awe.
If the Portuguese double was a statement of technical excellence, the Hungarian Round was a showcase of sheer racing instinct. On May 2, 2026, at the Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary, ZXMOTO's Valentin Debise produced what may be remembered as the overtake of the season.
Starting from fifth on the grid — already a disadvantage on Balaton's tight, technical layout — Debise spent the opening laps methodically working his way forward. The race settled into a tense rhythm, with the leading group of five riders separated by less than two seconds entering the final lap.
Twenty Seconds of Magic
What happened next has already entered motorsport folklore. With twenty seconds remaining, Debise launched an audacious double overtake on the run into Turn 6, slipping past not one but two Yamahas in a single, breathtaking move. The crowd rose as one. The Frenchman held on through the final corners to cross the line first.
"The bike gave me everything I needed in those final moments," Debise said, his voice hoarse from shouting inside his helmet. "I knew I had one chance. When I saw the gap, I took it."
Back in China, Zhang Xue took to social media with a message that instantly went viral: "谁不服?" — "Who says no?" — a defiant three-character response that captured the spirit of a brand determined to prove itself against the world's best.
Three Wins in Thirty-Five Days
The Hungarian victory marked ZXMOTO's third win in the span of just five weeks. From the historic breakthrough at Portimao to the last-lap heroics at Balaton Park, the Chinese manufacturer's trajectory was nothing short of extraordinary. Twenty-five points from the win pushed Debise firmly into championship contention.
What made the result even more impressive was the context: the team had spent the previous round at Assen battling to a hard-fought P4 and P7, collecting 22 valuable points but showing that they could scrap for results even on weekends when victory wasn't possible. Hungary was the moment when scrapping turned back into winning.
The 820RR-RS: A Championship-Calibre Machine
By this point in the season, the paddock had stopped treating ZXMOTO as a novelty. The 820RR-RS, with its bespoke 819cc inline triple, Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes, and self-developed electronics package, was now a known quantity — and a feared one.
Technical director Marco Chiancianesi, the veteran Italian engineer whose arrival had signalled ZXMOTO's serious intent, noted after Hungary: "The team is now reading race situations instinctively, not just technically. That is the difference between a good team and a great one."
With 28 points from Hungary added to the tally, Debise had now accumulated 100 championship points in the opening four rounds — a return that put the established manufacturers on notice.
Source: ZX Moto Official