What we know about the plans of MotoGP's likely next manufacturer
CFMoto Aspar boss Jorge Martinez has denied reporting that his team is preparing to return to MotoGP in 2027 - but acknowledged the premier class is in the Chinese factory's longer-term plans.
It was reported by Sky Sports Italy during the French Grand Prix weekend that Aspar and CFMoto were eyeing a MotoGP entry as early as 2027, as a KTM customer outfit for the time being rather than a bespoke factory.
Aspar last competed in MotoGP in 2018 with Karel Abraham and Alvaro Bautista on satellite Ducati machinery - before stepping down to concentrate on the lower classes.
Since then, the team has enjoyed rave success in the lightweight and intermediate series, racking up Moto3 titles with David Alonso, Izan Guevara and Albert Arenas as well as winning races in Moto2 with the likes of Jake Dixon, Dani Holgado and the promoted Alonso.
The team currently leads the Moto3 championship with Marquez brothers protege Maximo Quiles.
Perhaps most significantly, since 2024 the team has competed wearing the colours of aforementioned Chinese manufacturer CFMoto, with their partnership recently extended until at least 2031 with a deal that covers not only grand prix racing but an entire feeder programme with race schools in China and Spain to ensure not just bikes on the grid but a rider development pipeline as well.
Currently running KTM and Kalex machinery in Moto3 and Moto, CFMoto has nonetheless made no secret of its aspirations to race at the top level of the sport in both prototype and production racing, with its current plans seen only as a stepping stone towards an eventual move into both MotoGP and World Superbikes.
That speculation intensified recently when news emerged that CFMoto (already an experienced engine builder, which has been manufacturing for KTM for many years) had bought a 51% stake in German chassis manufacturer Kalex, the standard-bearer chassis maker in Moto2.
However, Aspar's team owner Martinez - four-time world champion in 80cc and 125cc - was quick to squash 2027 rumours when approached by The Race for comment, insisting that while a MotoGP return is the future plan, it wasn’t something the partnership was aiming for as soon as next season.
“The thing is, there's no date at the moment,” he explained. “There's nothing thought for 2027, and the important thing is that CFMoto are really happy to be here in the world championship, and in Superbikes, but they still don't have the exact date. Nothing is set.
“2027 is impossible. 100% no. To expand [to MotoGP], yes, but the idea is to start thinking about this plan, to start creating everything we need to do this in the future.”
