Scorpa - down but not out..?
By TMX Archives on 5th Aug 09
FRENCH manufacturer Scorpa, which has been battling economic woes for some months and has been running under a six-month business legal protection order since January 16, has now been officially declared bankrupt and the company wound-up.
The factory, at the Pole Mechanique complex at Ales in the south of France, is now closed and some 20-employees have been let go. It had been hoped to put together a rescue plan to save the factory but unfortunately this recently collapsed.
However, T+MX understands that the Scorpa name and assets (not the Ales factory, which was rented) have been bought by Sherco boss Marc Tessier, who was the original founder of Scorpa, some 15-years ago along with Joel Domergue, before leaving to go on to form Sherco. It is not known what Tessier plans to do with Scorpa.
British Scorpa importer, Nigel Birkett said: "It is sad that the factory has closed but I am actually optimistic about the future, I certainly don't think Scorpa is dead. ‘Down but not out' is how I'd describe the situation as I understand it.
"Current Scorpa owners certainly have no worries about the spares situation for their machines. The engines are Yamaha to start with and we have more than enough chassis and cycle parts in stock to see us over the next few months.
"The European factories are all closed now for their annual holiday break and when they return to work we will contact all the suppliers regarding ongoing stocks of parts. I don't see any problems there at all.”
Nigel continued: "I will continue to support my Scorpa riders and currently have Sam Ludgate and John Crinson battling for the 2009 British Expert B championship. It's business as usual as far as I'm concerned.”