Buyout firms Advent International, Apax Partners and Permira are all considering bids for Dorna, the Spanish motorbike racing rights business that runs MotoGP around the world, according to a banker familiar with the auction .
He said CVC Capital Partners, a UK-based buyout firm, was looking to sell the business, in which it has a 75% stake, for about €600m. He said there was no obvious strategic buyer.
However, a rival banker said there are several Spanish TV networks that might have an interest in acquiring Dorna, including Antena 3 TV, Cuatro, Television Espanola and Telecinco.
CVC is required to sell the motorbike unit by the European Commission because of its recent acquisition of SLEC, a company that manages the re-transmission rights to Formula One.