22 replies to this topic

[Lotusseven]

Do you think it’s any possibilities to do a campaign/marketing/charity or what ever... to help young drivers to get money/sponsors
so they can go on with their racing career with out any economical problems ?

And how ?

What to do to attract motorsport to companies ?

And why is it so incredibly difficult to find a sponsor ?

I guess one reason is it´s a lot of money as a driver need during a season.
Racing is a difficult bransch, 70% deals with contacts in companies with great interest said a young driver to me yesterday.

[HaydenFan]

It's hard to essentially pimp yourself out for money to go racing. Your job in finding sponsors is going to companies, to people and asking for money. It's a nerve raking, ballsy job, that I found I couldn't do (which ended my career in karts).

You can do like Justin Wilson and Scott Dixon. Build a marketing firm that works around the driver, selling shares in hopes of a successful return. But that is difficult and a driver needs to be a good driver to get people to invest their money (in this economical age). Not sure how one would go about doing that could. Maybe incorporate yourself? Not a businessman, so I really don't know the in's and out's.

How do you attract motorsport to companies? You really don't. You approach people already associated with motorsport. In the forms of suppliers, current and previous sponsors. It is safer, as people within the community know the risks, know the rewards. A company on the outside might not be as willing to take those risks, to write the huge checks.

Why is a pain the the butt to find sponsors? Pretty easy. It's hard to get people to give you money. You have to be a great con artist. Seriously. You are telling this person you need X amount of money, and you won't see any of it. All you get in return is your name on the sidepod, the driver's helmet and overalls. Maybe a swanky tent at the track. A sponsor sees little return when sponsoring motorsport at anything lower than the top tiers of motorsport.

Overall, a driver in the lower ranks of motorsport are not much different than the person working tricks on the street corner. You have to play your cards right, you have to do all the idioms in order to succeed. One hiccup and you're out of the game. Passed over quickly by the next group of kids coming through the ranks.

Be the best actor you can be is my best advice. You don't have to like the people your working with, buy make it look like it. Spin the truth of your past. You weren't over you head in a series, it was just a steep learning curve.

The movie Cars is a good showing of how to be a good driver. You need to be cocky, overconfident. You need to be more Chick Hicks than Lighting McQueen.

[Ross Stonefeld]

The numbers don't work. The expense of most forms of racing, especially single seaters, is way above the market value of the advertising or increased sales opportunities.

Why spend 750k sponsoring a World Series by Renault if it's going to get less than 500k in advertising. I might as well spend 750k with a media buyer, and possibly get 850k worth of advertising.

[Andy865]

What ross said.

[Lotusseven]

Thanks for your answers ! Amazing that young people even try !

[HaydenFan]

Thanks for your answers ! Amazing that young people even try !

It isn't about the money, it's about the sport.

In the U.S., people who play hockey have to do it at the club level. And to play in the lower levels costs serious money. Parents spend upwards of 10 thousand US for their kids to play for the best teams. They do it because their kid is having fun playing (and for some, being very good at it).

Golf and tennis are the same. Relative low start up costs, but lessons, playing time, and travel costs can easily bring them to being 100 thousand dollar a year sports to participate in. All because the kid is having fun playing the sport, and in some cases the kid has potential to play in Wimbledon or the Masters. Same with motorsport. The kid might be the one of thousands who gets a ride in F1, or NASCAR, or gets paid to race.

I had a former IndyCar racer tell me that in motorsport, maybe 100 people are getting paid to race. Whether that is MotoGP, F1, WRC, NASCAR, even Formula Truck, the goal of a driver after the sport aspect, is to make a paying career at it. If it costs millions to do that, or even get a chance to do that is part of the whole of motorsport. The same with the aspiring Tiger Woods, the Maria Sharapovas, the Sydney Crosby's.

[Ross Stonefeld]

It's definitely about the money. You don't waste that kind of coin on getting Junior through the development ranks if there wasn't a pot of gold at the end. And of course Junior is just the best anyone has ever seen.

[ch103]

A reccommended reading is "Drive to Win" by Carroll Smith. He covers this topic very well.

Basically, willing sponsors usually have a direct relation to the industry/sport or have a motorsports enthusiast running the show.

[HaydenFan]

It's definitely about the money. You don't waste that kind of coin on getting Junior through the development ranks if there wasn't a pot of gold at the end. And of course Junior is just the best anyone has ever seen.

For the parents, it's about that money. But the kid, until he's finds out how much racing costs, it's all about the sport.

[Altitude]

Do you think it’s any possibilities to do a campaign/marketing/charity or what ever... to help young drivers to get money/sponsors
so they can go on with their racing career with out any economical problems

The campaign/charity idea was tried back in the 80's with Racing for Britain, and also Motor Racing GB. Membership subscriptions were used to assist with drivers budgets, with members voting for who received the funds.
Numerous drivers were helped, with Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert probably being the highest profile beneficiaries.

[Red17]

I think Haydenfan and Ross got it explained.

My own experience is this guy I know. We were at the same school at one point and then he was gone.A few years later I find im on the street looking very «ya mon». We talked a bit. So he explained to me that he had quit school to pursue radical sports. It was his job now, but it turned out, it needed some work.

«First of all I have to look like this every day because my sponsors demand it, it's my corporate image.» And then it was the costs. «Man, you guys outside have no idea how much this way of life costs. It looks cool but I need to make money not only for competing but also money for my own food, I need every sponsor I can get and they are always looking for ways to cut down or bail out.»

This was radical sports, I would guess motorsports is even harder. Heck it costs around 60 euros for my car to run every month. I cannot even dare to guess how much it would be to maintain a running kart.

[Lotusseven]

It isn't about the money, it's about the sport.

In the U.S., people who play hockey have to do it at the club level. And to play in the lower levels costs serious money. Parents spend upwards of 10 thousand US for their kids to play for the best teams. They do it because their kid is having fun playing (and for some, being very good at it).

Golf and tennis are the same. Relative low start up costs, but lessons, playing time, and travel costs can easily bring them to being 100 thousand dollar a year sports to participate in. All because the kid is having fun playing the sport, and in some cases the kid has potential to play in Wimbledon or the Masters. Same with motorsport. The kid might be the one of thousands who gets a ride in F1, or NASCAR, or gets paid to race.

I had a former IndyCar racer tell me that in motorsport, maybe 100 people are getting paid to race. Whether that is MotoGP, F1, WRC, NASCAR, even Formula Truck, the goal of a driver after the sport aspect, is to make a paying career at it. If it costs millions to do that, or even get a chance to do that is part of the whole of motorsport. The same with the aspiring Tiger Woods, the Maria Sharapovas, the Sydney Crosby's.

I apologise for the stupid answer. Of course should young people give it a try, if they find something they are intrested in. When I answered you yesterday, everything about to find a sponsor as a young driver felt so incredible hard and hopeless. But it can of course works very well too, with contacts, will power and a very big amount of patience.

[Lotusseven]

I think Haydenfan and Ross got it explained.

My own experience is this guy I know. We were at the same school at one point and then he was gone.A few years later I find im on the street looking very «ya mon». We talked a bit. So he explained to me that he had quit school to pursue radical sports. It was his job now, but it turned out, it needed some work.

«First of all I have to look like this every day because my sponsors demand it, it's my corporate image.» And then it was the costs. «Man, you guys outside have no idea how much this way of life costs. It looks cool but I need to make money not only for competing but also money for my own food, I need every sponsor I can get and they are always looking for ways to cut down or bail out.»

This was radical sports, I would guess motorsports is even harder. Heck it costs around 60 euros for my car to run every month. I cannot even dare to guess how much it would be to maintain a running kart.

[Lotusseven]

The campaign/charity idea was tried back in the 80's with Racing for Britain, and also Motor Racing GB. Membership subscriptions were used to assist with drivers budgets, with members voting for who received the funds.
Numerous drivers were helped, with Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert probably being the highest profile beneficiaries.

I didn´t know about this. Thanks for sharing your info. Could be something to try again !

[Ross Stonefeld]

The do it in the UK with the Racing Steps Foundation.

[BRG]

It is possible if you are the right sort of person (which most drivers aren't of course). Guy Edwards was a famous sponsor obtainer, getting all sorts of companies, often with no connection to the sport, to put up money.

Frank Bradley, the F.Ford and F.Ford 2000 veteran, once got a sponsorship deal from Uniroyal Tredaire (carpet underlay) by painting up his FF2000 and parking it outside their HQ. That got their attention and got him a chance to pitch to them.

Edited by BRG, 18 August 2011 - 11:34.

[Red17]

Frank Bradley, the F.Ford and F.Ford 2000 veteran, once got a sponsorship deal from Uniroyal Tredaire (carpet underlay) by painting up his FF2000 and parking it outside their HQ. That got their attention and got him a chance to pitch to them.

Didnt Williams get their (now famous) arabian sponsors by pulling a similar stunt?

It's alike it's written above, yer gota use all tricks in the book.

[Ross Stonefeld]

That stuff worked in the 80s, bit different now.

[f1fan1998]

Hunting for sponsors for drivers outside of F1 is not an easy game. You have to do all of the above and more!

Talking of Guy Edwards, his son Sean now races in the Porsche supercup. Currently having a very good year in fact!

What advice would I give? I would say that the best way to attract sponsors is to network. Go and put yourself in interesting places. Because you sure as hell will meet interesting people and such conversations usually lead to opportunities.

Do not be afraid to talk to people in any walk of life.

[F1matt]

I have often wondered what returns a sponsor gets when they attach themselves to a lower formula driver????


I think this is why family money and connections are so important to a driver or team owner, and why most people belive that motorsport is a "richmans hobby", from the outset of driving karts in a regional championship it would strech the resources of the average family, and why the wealthier drivers can always buy better equipment to give them an extra something.

[HaydenFan]

I have often wondered what returns a sponsor gets when they attach themselves to a lower formula driver????


I think this is why family money and connections are so important to a driver or team owner, and why most people belive that motorsport is a "richmans hobby", from the outset of driving karts in a regional championship it would strech the resources of the average family, and why the wealthier drivers can always buy better equipment to give them an extra something.

I think even the drivers feel the same. So I ask this guy for money, but what will really get him to give me it? Why would he give me that money? But you don't know if you don't ask. I think for the more promising drivers, it's the prospect of being a sponsor of a driver if he makes it big.

For the second part, that's why you have drivers like Michael Herk and DPR. DPR was bought for Michael by his father. P1 Motorsport in WSR was bought by Grumbuller's father to keep his father in the car. Why do you think Piquet Jr. fell on his face like he did at Renault? So used to getting everything he wanted driver for his daddy's team, that when he went elsewhere he had different rules to play by and they didn't equal success.

It was always a wealthy sport though. You need money to get anywhere in motorsport. Always has been.

[Kraken]

One of the best there is at the whole sponsorship game is Jason Plato. He doesn't get anything like the credit he deserves for the way he's funded his career.

[Lotusseven]

Thanks guys ! All answers/tips/ideas/posts in this tread are much appreciated ! And someone said if you don´t ask you don´t know.

The only way I can help this young driver is to network,I´m his best "tool" in that case, and I can promote him and eventually do a attractive
presentation to refer to when/if I try to find/recommend people/companies about this driver. He isn´t much of networking himself, maybe he don´t know how to do ?
He´s website isn´t the best either but I don´t want to be too engaged and tell him what I think is more attractive, welcoming and looks more intresting ect.
I guess many companies/people get their first impression of a young driver/anyone via their website.

I´ve seen for exampel Jon Lancaster trying to (find sponsor) get in touch with companies via twitter. I think twitter is a good tool for
that purpose, apart from you reach the limit of tweets per hour quite fast.

Edited by Lotusseven, 20 August 2011 - 07:33.