Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1518395
WIND IN THE P34 Ezpeleta will remain in place, and continue to run the business, which will remain in Madrid. "We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of leading live sports and entertainment assets with the acquisition of MotoGP," said Liberty Media President and CEO Greg Maffei. "MotoGP is a global league with a loyal, enthusiastic fan base, cap - tivating racing and a highly cash flow generative financial profile. Carmelo and his management team have built a great sporting spectacle that we can expand to a wider global audience. The busi - ness has significant upside, and we intend to grow the sport for MotoGP fans, teams, commercial partners and our shareholders." Many fans have voiced fears that the acquisition will turn MotoGP into a two-wheel version of Formula One. But during an investors' call hours after the offi - cial announcement, Maffei stated there were no plans to make sweeping changes to the sport. "I like to believe that's the po- tential here," he said. "This is an unbelievable product, [and] we are not planning to change this sport. This is a great sport with a great fanbase that has unbeliev - able competition and unbeliev- able excitement. "Our goal is to open that up to a broader audience and open it up to a broader set of commer - cial partners of all flavors. And I think those go hand in hand." An official statement released by Dorna stated the acquisition should be completed by the end of this calendar year, "and is sub - ject to the receipt of clearances and approvals by competition and foreign investment law au - thorities in various jurisdictions." Industry experts have ex- pressed doubts as to whether Liberty Media would receive clearance for the acquisition. These stemmed from the fact that CVC Capital Partners, Mo- toGP's former owner, had to sell when it bought into Formula One in 2006, a move that caught the attention of the European Union's monopolies commission. Yet during the investors' call on April 1, Maffei sounded bullish on Liberty's chances of complet - ing the acquisition. "We're very confident we will get this through regulators because we believe there is a broad market for sports and entertainment properties, of which both Formula One and MotoGP are only a small subset, and the market has continued to change from the time when the market was previously reviewed in a major way. "We're not going to treat these as a bundle or try to bring them together in the market." CN Triumph Introduces Trident Triple Tribute Special Edition T riumph Motorcycles announced a special-edition Trident 660, the 2025 Trident Triple Tribute, that comes in a white-blue-and-red livery inspired by the five-time TT- winning 'Slippery Sam" Trident. The middleweight roadster features the number 67 graphic, which once adorned Slippery Sam, the most famous Trident in history winning five TT production races in five consecutive years, from 1971 to 1975. It will come outfitted with Triumph Shift Assist, a belly pan and a color-matched fly screen. MSRP is listed at $8595. CN Triumph's new Trident Triple Tribute Special Edition has a $8595 price tag.