Ducati stake 'up for sale'

Ducati was recently named the coolest brand in Britain

The largest shareholder in Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati is reported to be looking for a buyer for its 33.5% shareholding.

Venture capital company, Texas Pacific Group of the United States, bought their stake in 1996 but now reportedly wish to sell in a move that motor journalist Alun Lewis describes as "a great worry to the shareholders and the management".

"My feeling is that Ducati is not yet strong enough to stand on its own unless somebody comes in and picks up Texas Pacific's share," he told the BBC's World Business Report.

"If they just dump Ducati now I feel that would be the end of Ducati - it's just too large a chunk of money to remove from the Ducati make at the moment, which needs all the help it can get still."

Relying on one model

With a World Superbike championship under its belt, a stunning new racing engine under development, and probably the most enviable name in the world of motor cycling, Ducati seemed to have it all just last week.

"Unless they have a better model spread they are in big trouble"

Alun Lewis, motoring journalist

The Ferrari of the motor cycle world has been riding high in recent years, helped until now by Texas Pacific Group.

A panel of experts from advertising and marketing recently named Ducati the coolest brand in Britain.

But Ducati is largely a one-model company in a market dominated by very big, powerful and flexible manufacturers.

Alun Lewis said Ducati needs to invest in new models.

"Unless they can spread the appeal of their mark which is basically ultrasports bikes... unless they can get tourers, commuter bikes, city bikes, unless they can spread the load... you are there as a very specialist maker," he said.

"Probably Ducati is too large, it makes too many bikes, it is too successful with one model only."