MotoGP Rumor: Liberty Media eyes buying MotoGP from Dorna (5th Update)

This rumor is upgraded to ‘fact’ with today’s announcement.

This rumor will soon become ‘fact.’ Rumors that F1’s commercial owner Liberty Media is also buying the two-wheeled equivalent, MotoGP, are becoming more and more concrete.

A month ago, MotoGP’s long-time boss, Carmelo Ezpeleta, did not deny the buyout rumors, as reports swirled that promoter Dorna’s current owner, Bridgepoint, was in multi-billion dollar talks.

“The majority shareholders of Dorna are investment funds, which buy things to sell them,” he said, having earlier admitted that a joint F1-MotoGP race weekend might also be in the works.

Now, the authoritative Financial Times newspaper says the deal could be worth as much as well over $4 billion, with the talks in recent weeks having become “exclusive”.

Citing key sources, correspondents Matthew Garrahan and Samuel Agini says Liberty has seen off “a rival bid from TKO, the sports and entertainment group run by Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel”, as well as another bid from Qatar.

One problem, however, could be conflict of interest concerns. One competition lawyer told FT that investigations into the joint F1-MotoGP ownership are “quite likely”.

All parties, including Dorna and Liberty, declined to officially comment.

“An agreement is close,” the newspaper said, “but an announcement could be pushed into next week”.

The owners of MotoGP are in talks to sell up for £3.4 billion, Sky News report.

They are seeking a sale “within weeks”, according to the report, but the timetable “remains uncertain”.

Bridgepoint, a private equity firm, is the biggest shareholder in Dorna, which is MotoGP’s parent company, and is in negotiations with possible buyers.

Bridgepoint bought MotoGP from CVC Capital Partners in 2006, after CVC Capital Partners bought into Formula 1.

We are upgrading this rumor from ‘speculation’ to ‘strong’.

Carmelo Ezpeleta, MotoGP’s long-time boss, is not denying that the premier two-wheeled category could be bought by F1 owner Liberty Media.

Swirling rumors stepped up a further gear this week, with reports in Spain suggesting that MotoGP promoter Dorna Sports’ current owner, Bridgepoint, might also be in talks over a billion-dollar deal.

“Those are rumors and that’s what they say,” Ezpeleta, 78, smiled when asked about the Liberty Media rumors by Television Espanola.

He says it would be no surprise if MotoGP is eventually sold.

“The majority shareholders of Dorna are investment funds, which buy things to sell them,” he insisted. “We have always been for sale, from day one.

“We have been with Bridgepoint since 2006 and CPP (Canada Pension Plan Investment Board) since 2013. There are always approaches and for now, that’s it.

“We’re the same as we always were,” Ezpeleta concluded.

(GMM) Liberty Media, the owner of Formula 1’s commercial rights since 2017, has set its sights on acquiring the sport’s two-wheeled equivalent, MotoGP.

Recently, we have been reporting that F1 and MotoGP are open to the idea of staging a joint round of both world championships.

That speculation has now stepped up a gear, with Spanish business newspaper Expansion claiming Liberty Media is in negotiations with Bridgepoint – the current owner of the MotoGP organization Dorna Sports.

Bridgepoint, who are not actively trying to sell Dorna, values its MotoGP property at $4 billion. Expansion claims that Liberty’s interest in Dorna has also sparked the curiosity of other giants like Amazon, Netflix and Disney, as well as venture capital funds CVC and KKR.

MotoGP supremo Carmelo Ezpeleta had already confirmed the sale rumors last December, telling La Repubblica: “The signs are always there.

“I confirm the rumors, but I would like to know who spreads them. Also because every day I receive two or three calls from credit institutions, asking me if it is true that we are for sale.

“The banks don’t want to buy – they offer themselves as intermediaries,” he explained.

Rumors are getting stronger that Liberty Media, the commercial rights holders of Formula 1, are contemplating the acquisition of commercial rights for MotoGP, the top tier of motorcycle racing series.

Although Dorna Sports, the current owner of the two-wheeled sport, has not dismissed the prospect of a sale.

The CEO of Dorna Sports, Carmelo Ezpeleta, confirmed the rumors of the sale, citing, “anything can happen, at any time, but it hasn’t happened yet”. The maximum stake of Dorna Sports is owned by British investor Bridgepoint, which owns 39%. In addition. a Canadian Pension fund owns 38% of the stake, while the rest of the 23% is owned by Dorna Management and its CEO.

Speaking to La Repubblica, here’s what Ezpeleta said:

“I can confirm the rumors of a sale, but I would like to know who is spreading them. Every day I get two or three phone calls from credit institutions asking me if it is true that we are for sale, but the banks don’t want to buy, they only offer themselves as intermediaries in the operation.

“Anything can happen, at any time, but it hasn’t happened yet. We definitely like the product and the formula with the Sprints works.”

However, the sale of the sport to Liberty Media may be prohibited by European Union Regulations. In the past, EU regulations intervened when Bernie Ecclestone, the former owner of Formula 1, endeavored to secure the rights for both, F1 and MotoGP in collaboration with the Luxembourg investment firm CVC.

The deal was nixed due to concerns that it would grant excessive power to the involved parties, potentially hindering competition in the market.