Liberty Media close to $4.3B deal for MotoGP

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F1 owner Liberty Media is in "exclusive talks" to buy the company that owns MotoGP for more than $4.3B in a deal that "would unite the elite car and motorcycle racing series," according to sources. Liberty is "poised to agree" to the takeover of Dorna Sports after "seeing off a rival bid from TKO." Qatar Sports Investments, the state-backed group that owns French football club Paris Saint-Germain, "had also expressed interest in Dorna and held talks with its owner," private equity firm Bridgepoint. For Liberty, Dorna "represents a rare opportunity to buy into a global sport with lucrative commercial rights." Any deal, however, is "likely to face regulatory scrutiny." PE firm CVC Capital Partners once owned both F1 and MotoGP but was forced to sell the motorcycle series in 2006 as a condition of buying F1 after EU competition regulators raised concerns (FINANCIAL TIMES, 3/27).