The ZXMOTO founder spent his formative years at Apollo, where a culture of passion over pedigree gave a young dreamer his first break
Wuyi, Zhejiang, China — April XX, 2026 — Zhejiang Apollo Sports Technology Co., Ltd. (“Apollo”), an off-road motorcycle manufacturer based in Wuyi, Zhejiang, proudly celebrates the achievement of Zhang Xue, founder of ZXMOTO and a former Apollo team member, whose ZXMOTO 820 RR-RS claimed a double victory at the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) WorldSSP round in Portimão, Portugal — a milestone for Chinese motorcycle manufacturing on the international racing stage.
Zhang Xue’s path into the motorcycle industry began at Apollo in 2009. His story with the company is one of mutual belief — and it started, improbably, with a pencil-written letter.
In 2009, when online applications had long become the norm, a young man from rural Hunan chose a different path. Zhang Xue hand-wrote a letter in pencil and mailed it directly to Apollo’s Chairwoman, Ying Er. He held no university degree and did not meet the company’s formal hiring criteria. What he had was an unmistakable passion for motorcycles — and the courage to express it.
“He didn’t have a diploma. He didn’t fit any standard we had,” Ying Er recalled in a recent interview. “But that letter carried something rare — a kind of pure devotion and sincerity that you can’t teach. I decided to give him a chance.”
Zhang was hired — not for his credentials, but for his conviction. It was a decision that would come to embody Apollo’s founding philosophy: passion before pedigree.
Over nearly four years at Apollo, Zhang Xue progressed from the assembly line to vehicle testing, then to participating in R&D, and ultimately earned the trust to lead an independent development project — a remarkable trajectory for someone with no formal engineering background.
His technical dedication became well known within the company. On one occasion, Zhang bet Ying Er that he could assemble a motorcycle engine blindfolded — and won the 1,000-yuan wager.
“The workshop supervisor kept telling me, ‘Zhang Xue has raised another issue that needs fixing,'” Ying Er said. “After a while, I realized this young man had a very special eye. So I moved him into full-vehicle testing. And every problem he flagged turned out to be a real one.”
Former colleague Hu Gang remembers Zhang as someone who was “extremely down-to-earth and fully committed to his work,” handling test rides, assembly, and debugging on his own. Another colleague, Ding Jian, added: “He was an incredibly determined person. Once he set his mind on something, he gave it everything.”
In 2013, Zhang Xue identified a market opportunity that Apollo’s own supply-chain analysis had deemed commercially unviable at the time. Rather than dismiss his ambition, Ying Er chose to support it.
“He wanted to go to Chongqing and start his own venture,” Ying Er said. “I believed in his drive, so I backed his decision.”
Zhang left Apollo with 30 sets of motorcycle parts, his newlywed wife, and 20,000 yuan in cash. Twelve years later, his machines were winning on the world stage.
When ZXMOTO’s French rider Valentin Debise crossed the finish line first at Portimão on March 29, 2026, Ying Er was among those watching with deep emotion.
“I thought of the moment he assembled that engine blindfolded — the whole company cheering for him,” she said. “Now the world knows his name. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Debise himself, as quoted by WorldSBK.com, offered a striking endorsement of the machine: “From the first time I rode it, the feeling was great. Even with European or Japanese manufacturers, the first test you always have some problems. This time we didn’t have anything.”
Zhang Xue’s achievement reflects not only individual brilliance and perseverance, but also the depth of China’s motorcycle manufacturing ecosystem. Wuyi, where Apollo is headquartered, is a nationally recognized hub for automotive and motorcycle parts production and has served as a “National Off-Road Racing Training Base” since 2012.
Apollo takes pride in having played a formative role in Zhang Xue’s early career. His journey — from an assembly-line newcomer to a globally recognized entrepreneur — reinforces Apollo’s longstanding commitment to nurturing talent driven by passion rather than conventional qualifications.
Looking ahead, Apollo plans to deepen this commitment by expanding its young-talent development initiatives, including enhanced technical mentorship programs and collaborative R&D opportunities for aspiring engineers and riders within the Wuyi motorsport ecosystem.
“Zhang Xue’s success was not built overnight — it was built over nearly 20 years,” said Ying Er. “It is a product of relentless passion, and it is also a testament to the nurturing power of China’s motorcycle industry — including the chapter he wrote here at Apollo.”
Founded on February 14, 2003, in Wuyi, Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Apollo Sports Technology Co., Ltd. has grown from a small workshop into a globally distributed off-road motorcycle manufacturer. Today, Apollo operates a 64,000-square-meter production facility with an annual capacity of 100,000 motorcycles, exporting to 75 countries and regions.
Apollo’s brand portfolio includes RXF, dedicated to fueling the off-road ambitions of the next generation; RFN, developing AI-integrated off-road products for riders aged 3 and above; and AM, a leading brand in small-displacement off-road motorcycles. Apollo’s machines have claimed championship titles at national-level competitions in the United Kingdom (2014), Colombia (2016), and Russia (2016, 2017).
Apollo is committed to creating professional off-road products and service platforms for the new generation of riders.
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