QJMOTOR is to make a surprise appearance in the WorldSSP Championship next season in a factory capacity, it has been revealed.

The firm’s plans were revealed for the first time with the unveiling of the official 2024 WorldSSP Championship entry list this week with a single entry under the QJMOTOR Factory Racing banner listed among 32 ‘provisional permanent’ riders.

It means a remarkable seven different manufacturers will be represented in WorldSSP next season, a significant increase for a middleweight-class that only two years ago boasted just three manufacturers and a field dominated mostly by Yamaha.

Though fairly little is known about QJMOTOR Factory Racing – namely whether it has teamed up with an established operation or will be working entirely in-house – it does have a confirmed rider in Raffaele de Rosa, who is set to bring a wealth of experience to the new project.

He is down to ride the all-new QJ GSR 800, a new sportsbike revealed at the recent EICMA show in Milan. Understood to be influenced by the Honda CBR650R under the skin, the QJ GSR 800 will nonetheless make use of the firm’s up-to-date 800cc four-cylinder powerplant.