Canadian pension fund buys into MotoGP

By
CMG Staff
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Just think: If your pension is managed by the CPPIB, you could be Dani Pedrosa's boss ... well, sort of.
Just think: If your pension is managed by the CPPIB, you could be Dani Pedrosa’s boss … well, sort of.

A Canadian pension fund is planning to buy a huge stake of Dorna, the sports management company that organizes MotoGP and World Superbike races.

Right now, Dorna’s owned by parent company Bridgepoint and Dorna’s management. Now, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has announced they want in on the party too, to the tune of 39 per cent of the company.

According to Reuters, the deal is worth 400 million Euros, or $515,520,000 CAD. That’s a lot of dosh to be throwing around, but the CPPIB is good for it; they manage funds for 18 million Canadian contributors and beneficiaries. Who knows? If they represent you, maybe you’re a part owner of Dorna yourself, now. See if that can get you free tickets to the next Indianapolis GP.

Let’s hope this move doesn’t turn Dorna into a mirror of the Toronto Maple Leafs. CMG readers who follow hockey will remember most of the Leafs’ woes of the last few years have been blamed on the fact that they were owned by a teachers’ pension fund until a few months ago. Supposedly, the pension fund didn’t care if they provided quality sports entertainment, only about bottom-line profits.

Let’s also hope this puts an end to all the talk about Dorna showing bias towards Spanish racers. True or not, that’s been the gossip around MotoGP for years. Maybe having Canadian money on board will change that, although this is only an ownership change, not a management change.

Finally – it’d be really great to see a Canadian stop on the MotoGP or WSBK circuit. It’s unlikely, but surely some fans will see this as a chance to lobby to bring world-class racing to Canada again. If they convince a few thousand others to agree, and buy tickets, then maybe it’ll actually happen.

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9 COMMENTS

  2. My crystal ball says that motogp will go the way of indycar . The pension fund would be bettter off buying lottery tickets. Whatever, the taxpayer will bail them out as usual.

  3. I don’t think that being owned by the teachers pension fund had anything to do with the Leafs dismal performance(s). They suck no matter who owned them.

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