But Gao also noted Zhang"s unusual willingness to change: after seeing a news story about a CEO who paid fines for yelling at employees, Zhang announced he would do the same for each outburst. "So far, no one has had to pay yet," Gao said.

　　THE BIKE THAT WON

　　The motorcycle that conquered the Portugal circuit, the 820RR-RS, is nearly identical to the bike customers can buy for 43,800 yuan (6,361 U.S. dollars), a fraction of the price of its European and Japanese competitors.

　　Zhang pointed to two core strengths that came directly from his design philosophy: lightweight and performance setup. That focus gave the 820RR-RS its edge on the track, allowing Debise to outbrake two Yamaha rivals and power out of corners with superior low-end torque.

　　The production bike that customers buy shares these same fundamental traits, built not as a race special but as a machine designed to win from the ground up.

　　French rider Debise, who piloted the bike to victory, recalled his first impression in an online interview with Xinhua.

　　"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."

　　Debise admitted he faced criticism for breaking his contract with another brand to join an unproven Chinese team.

　　"I didn"t reply anything. I just waited until now to win the races. Now I make people shut up and prove that Chinese motorcycles are very strong."

　　And what convinced him? "Zhang Xue himself. I wanted to race with this team and nobody else. He does this more for passion than for business."

　　THE GLOBAL AMBITIONS