China motorcycle legend invites fan to Italy race after learning man has late-stage cancer
Motorsport star pulls out all the stops to give very ill fan who thought he would ‘live in darkness’ until he dies a surprise he dreamed of
China’s motorcycle industry legend Zhang Xue has invited a 31-year-old cancer-stricken fan to an overseas motorsport competition after learning about the man’s bleak prognosis.
Zhang, who was little known to most of the public last year, rose to international fame months ago for achieving an unprecedented victory for the country in a world-class race.
The turning point was in March when French rider Valentin Debise won two races in the WorldSSP class of the Superbike World Championship riding on Zhang’s brand ZXMOTO’s 820RR-RS model.
Zhang, who comes from a poor rural family in central Hunan province and received little school education, has been celebrated as an encouraging model because of his rise from the grass roots.
In mid-May, one of Zhang’s followers on social media left a comment saying he plans to buy a X-MOTO motorcycle if he successfully beats cancer, the Daxiang News reported.
“I wanted to buy a motorcycle when I was a student, but I did not have the money. I have been busy with work after university graduation. Now I only want to live for myself,” wrote the internet user, surnamed Pan.
Zhang replied to him: “Come on. When you recover from the disease, I will sell the motorcycle to you at 50 per cent discount.”
