About two months ago, rumors emerged about the possible sale of Dorna Sports for a value around 2,000 million euros. For many years, it has been the promoter of MotoGP and the Superbike World Championship.
According to the newspaper El Confidencial, the sale was on the table by the Bridgepoint fund, owner of 39 percent of the company. There is also 38 percent owned by a Canadian public fund and 20 percent owned by the workers. And the CEO of Dorna, Carmelo Ezpeleta, has now confirmed to the newspaper La Repubblica that the deal could indeed become a reality: ‘Last year we made many changes, but sport continues to be at the center of the show. I confirm the rumors: there are negotiations for the sale.’
However, the Spanish ensured that Dorna is ready for any scenario – whether a change of ownership or the continuity of the same shareholders. Since 2006, Bridgepoint has been a shareholder of Dorna, while previous investors remained from 1998 to 2006. Ezpeleta recalled that it is an unusual longevity: ‘Normally, venture capital-owned companies, and this is our case, do not remain more than four or five years. But every rule has its exception’.
