When private equity firm Bridgepoint, who also owns Dorna and therefore MotoGP acquired Infront Sports and Media AG, the rights holders for the World Superbike Championship, the acquisition was subject to approval by the EU’s antitrust authorities and now that approval has come through and according to the guys that sit in Brussels have decided that even if there may be some overlaps between the two series it doesn’t raise competition concerns and that they’re limited.

EU Press release:

The European Commission cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Infront Sports and Media AG of Switzerland by private equity Bridgepoint Capital Group Limited of the United Kingdom. The Commission concluded that the transaction will not raise competition concerns due to the limited overlaps between the parties’ activities and to the fact that sufficient alternative sources of supply will continue to be available to the merged entity’s customers in all markets concerned.

Both Bridgepoint and Infront are active in the organisation of motorbike racing events (MotoGP for Bridgepoint and Superbike for Infront). The Commission examined the competitive effects of the proposed acquisition in particular in the markets for motor sport regulators (namely FIM, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, which is the regulator for both MotoGP and Superbike), teams and manufacturers, circuit owners and local promoters, advertisers and TV broadcasters.

Continue reading: EU approves acquisition of Infront by Bridgepoint

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Thanks to Nieusmotor.nl website we can show you the press conference that World Superbike boss Paolo Flammini held after today’s Superpole at Nurburgring, Germany.

Flammini talks about Bridgepoint acquiring Infront Motorsports and the fact he is happy about it (as if he would deny it), confirming that the two championship will remain separate entities, skirted around the thorny subject of CRT teams in MotoGP, and also clarified that the 2012 provisional Superbike calendar that we also posted, is completely off track and Sepang will not be in the calendar next season.

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As widely anticipated back in June, private equity firm Bridgepoint, who also owns Dorna and therefore MotoGP, has acquired Infront Sports and Media AG, the rights holders for the World Superbike Championship with the announcment made earlier today.

With the acquisition, which is subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities, Bridgepoint will control both world championships, but as there is a lot of worries by loyal fans that World Superbikes may now become the poor relation of the two series with Dorna getting the precedence or eventually merge together (the new CRT teams in MotoGP seem a step in that direction), however the press release tries to allay these fears, by stating that both championships will continue to be managed separately .

“Bridgepoint will encourage the further development of Superbike and MotoGP although both series will continue to be organised and managed separately. Dorna and Infront Motor Sports are each fully committed to the long-term relationship with the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) as their strategic partner as well as the successful partnerships with teams and manufacturers, circuit owners, sponsors, broadcasters and other stakeholders of the series.”

Press release after the jump.

Continue reading: Bridgepoint now owns Infront Sports & Media

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