Motorcycle Racing Is For Everyone, And CFMoto Is Putting Its Money Where Its Mouth Is

Because going ridiculously fast on two wheels was never exclusively a boys’ club.

Photo by: CFMoto

By: Enrico Punsalang

Oct 14, at 8:16am ET

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I’ve always believed motorcycles are for everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a weekend canyon carver, a daily commuter, or someone who spends an unreasonable amount of money shaving half a second off a lap time.

And personally, I love seeing more women getting into motorcycling, whether that’s on the street or at the racetrack. So whenever a manufacturer throws its weight behind making motorcycle racing more accessible, particularly to women, that’s something worth celebrating.

And this time, it’s CFMoto stepping up. The Chinese manufacturer has signed a three-year agreement to become the exclusive motorcycle supplier for the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR) from 2027 through 2029. That means the championship’s current Yamaha R7 race bikes are getting replaced by CFMoto’s 675SR-R, bringing a different engine configuration and potentially a little more excitement to an already competitive racing series.

Photo by: CFMoto

WorldWCR launched in 2024 as a dedicated international championship for female motorcycle racers, running alongside selected rounds of the World Superbike Championship. Everyone competes on essentially identical machinery, putting the emphasis on rider skill rather than whoever happens to have the biggest engineering budget. It’s a relatively straightforward formula, but one that gives talented women a proper international stage to demonstrate what they can do.

And let’s be clear, women don’t need their own championship because they’re somehow incapable of competing against men. Women already race in mixed-gender championships, and have done so for decades. WorldWCR exists to create more opportunities, visibility, and a clearer pathway into professional racing. Given how expensive and difficult motorsport already is, having another route into the paddock is hardly a bad thing.

The 675SR-R brings a 675cc inline-triple to a grid previously dominated by Yamaha’s 689cc parallel-twin R7. In road-going form, CFMoto’s sportbike produces around 90 horsepower, compared to roughly 73 horsepower for the outgoing Yamaha YZF-R7 machinery. The actual race specifications will differ, but organizers expect the new platform to deliver approximately 15 additional horsepower.

Photos by: CFMoto

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Of course, this is also a significant opportunity for CFMoto. The company already has a presence in Moto2 and Moto3 through its partnership with Aspar, but supplying an entire championship with motorcycles built around its own production engine is another level of involvement. It’s also developing a V4 superbike, although there’s no confirmed connection between that project and a future WorldSBK entry.

Still, the part that excites me most isn’t the extra horsepower or CFMoto’s expanding racing portfolio. It’s the fact that another major motorcycle manufacturer is committing resources to a championship dedicated to giving women more opportunities to race. The more women we see riding motorcycles, whether they’re heading to work or fighting for podium positions, the better.