As originally revealed by bikesportnews.com back on June 2, private equity firm Bridgepoint, parent firm of MotoGP commerical rights holders Dorna, are closing in on the deal to buy InFront Sports, the company which owns the World Superbike Championship, and it is expected to be finalised by the middle of next month.

Although no contracts have yet been signed, stories emerging from the City suggested that a deal was close and that Bridgepoint, the private equity company headquartered in London, would soon own both series but may be looking at a way to sell back the championship to its former owners, the Flammini brothers.

There is considerable speculation as to what will happen to WSB when the deal goes through. Recently Carmelo Ezpeleta, the boss of Dorna, reaffirmed his belief that both championships would continue to run separately.

A City source said: "Although nothing has been signed, it looks very much like a done deal. There has been some speculation as to what will happen to parts of the business and the motorcycle racing arm has been the subject of much discussion.

"If World Superbikes is kept on, it may be run with a reduced cost base so racing in far-flung places like Australia may well be shelved, but until the paperwork is completed, it is hard to tell."

The FIM will have some say as to what happens to its championships but must be keeping a close eye on how much all this costs. With Yamaha's withdrawal from the series, it only leaves two full works teams in WSB, BMW and Aprilia, with Kawasaki run by Paul Bird Motorsport. It looks very much like WSB is returning to its privateer roots while MotoGP continues to be a works championship - but for how long?

Of course, the whole point of private equity is to make a (relatively) fast buck. Bridgepoint recognise that Dorna's worth will be reduced greatly when Valentino Rossi finally calls it a day, so are most likely looking to off-hire it in the near future anyway, which then makes all this fuss entirely pointless.