Country for PR: United States
Contributor: PR Newswire New York
Monday, December 14 2020 - 08:07
AsiaNet
MSP Sports Capital Invests In McLaren Racing
NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

- MSP Sports Capital provides strategic capital at the intersection of McLaren 
Racing's continued success and announcement of a full 2021 racing calendar.

Today, McLaren Racing announced it received an investment from MSP Sports 
Capital ("MSP"), a New York-based privately held investment advisory firm. MSP 
Sports Capital and its limited partners were joined by The Najafi Companies and 
UBS O'Connor, which provided co-investment.  

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/951094/MSP_Sports_Capital_Logo.jpg  

The transaction values McLaren Racing at GBP560m and strengthens the team's 
long-term plan for growth and continued success. 

Recent MSP investments include stakes in Agrupación Deportiva Alcorcon S.A.D., 
Waasland Beveren, which plays in the Belgian Jupiter League, a Spanish football 
team based in Madrid, and Estoril Praia Futebol SAD, a Portuguese sports club 
based in Lisbon which is currently in first place in the LigaPro. MSP's McLaren 
Racing investment builds on a portfolio of high performing sports properties.

Steven Wasserman, Principal at MSP, commented: "We are delighted to invest in 
McLaren Racing and are excited by the prospects for the business. It is an 
honor to be a part of this storied franchise. We see significant growth 
potential in all of our investments and believe that McLaren's history, 
management and cutting-edge technology capability make it an ideal partnership 
for our organization." This investment continues and furthers our mission to 
source and develop compelling opportunities on behalf of our fund investors. 

"This investment represents a key moment in the progress of McLaren Racing. MSP 
is first and foremost a sports investor," said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren 
Racing. "They know the market and their team has considerable experience and 
proven success in global sports properties. They are a partner as much as a 
shareholder, with the ability to leverage their network and knowledge for the 
long-term benefit of McLaren Racing."  

"We're excited about the opportunity to support Zak Brown and his management 
team and to help grow the McLaren Racing brand," said Jeff Moorad, Principal at 
MSP. "We're committed to assist the team in accomplishing its objective of 
returning to the front of the grid."  

Jahm Najafi, Principal at MSP said, "As a Principal at MSP, I am delighted that 
we have been able to execute on such an exciting transaction and feel 
privileged to help steward and support such an enduring and admired company. We 
feel strongly in both the asset quality and our execution capabilities, such 
that my firm, The Najafi Companies, has decided to come in as a co-investor." 

About MSP Sports Capital 
MSP Sports Capital is an operationally focused private investment manager 
targeting tactical investments in sports and the related sports ecosystem. MSP 
seeks opportunities in dynamic sports-related sectors where its investment 
partners can support value creation and corporate efficiencies. MSP's 
principals are experienced, well-known figures in the sports industry, as 
owners, investors and operators in the National Football League (NFL), Major 
League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), ESPN, and sports 
management. MSP is headquartered in New York. For more information, please 
visit: http://mspsportscapital.com/

About UBS O'Connor
UBS Asset Management is a large-scale asset manager with a presence in 23 
markets. It offers investment capabilities and investment styles across all 
major traditional and alternative asset classes to institutions, wholesale 
intermediaries and wealth management clients around the world.

UBS O'Connor is UBS Asset Management's global single-manager hedge fund 
platform, offering both multi-strategy and standalone capabilities, with USD 
7.1 billion in assets under management as of November 1, 2020. 

About The Najafi Companies
The Najafi Companies is an entrepreneurially-driven private investment firm 
which makes highly selective investments across industries with significant 
holdings in consumer, sports, media, ecommerce, retail and technology. By 
funding its investments with internally generated capital and utilizing a 
strategy of concentration, not diversification, Najafi is empowered to think 
long-term, remain highly flexible and operate in true alignment with 
management. The team's passion is to create value in areas that are underserved 
or undergoing rapid transformation, and during these uncertain times, The 
Najafi Companies continues its mission to "do well and do good" and partner 
with world-class, entrepreneurial teams. Headquartered in Phoenix with offices 
in LA and NY. 

About McLaren Racing
McLaren Racing was founded by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren in 1963. 
The team entered its first Formula 1 race in 1966, since when McLaren has won 
20 Formula 1 world championships, more than 180 Formula 1 grands prix, the Le 
Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt and the Indianapolis 500 three times.

McLaren Racing currently competes in Formula 1 globally and INDYCAR in the US. 
The team will contest the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Lando 
Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and the INDYCAR Series with drivers Pato O'Ward 
and Felix Rosenqvist, who will both be joined by Juan Pablo Montoya for the 
2021 Indianapolis 500.

SOURCE  MSP Sports Capital

CONTACT: Doug Turner, MSP Sports Capital, dwturner@agenda-global.com / +1 917 
369 0382; Anne Robertson, The Najafi Companies, arobertson@lavidge.com / +1 480 
694 3163; Tim Bampton, Director of Communications, McLaren Racing, 
tim.bampton@mclaren.com / +44 (0) 7468 714614
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