This Is What You Need to Do to Get Sponsored in Motorsports

If you've read our most recent motorcycle road racing guide, you'll know that I promised I'd dive deeper into the whole topic of sponsorships. If you're part of the 99% of people on the planet who aren't billionaires, you might want to sit down, take notes, and also pursue further research on the topic. At the same time, don't allow yourself to be discouraged by how expensive being a professional rider or race driver is going to be.

Chase the vision, not the money

I feel that one of the most important things is to start as young as possible. I'm not saying that you should give up on your dream of going pro if you're over 20 already. But it does help to start when you're five. In which case, this is going to be a guide for the dads or moms out there that are pursuing that dream. Trying to secure sponsors is not a five-minute job you can do when you're in the mood. It needs time, commitment, knowledge, strategy, and money.

Let's talk about each of those aspects. The following advice should be efficient regardless of the form of motorsport you're involved in, be it that you're in karting, motorcycle road racing, drifting, or anything else for that matter. I would go as far as to even recommend Sun Tzu's "Art of War" before starting work on this. If you're going to have a chance at signing on a new partner, you need to have as much information about the company as possible.

So start by asking yourself questions and finding out the answers. How big is that company? How does it make a profit? What kind of people buy their products or into their services? Have they ever sponsored sports before? Can their product be associated with motorsports? Who is in charge of the sponsorship department? Do I have any connections inside of the company? If they'll agree to work with me, what is the legal basis of the sponsorship procedure? And the list can go on.

Wake up early and tackle the day before it tackles you

Let's say your racing season starts in March of each year. If you're going to maximize your chances of convincing a company to sponsor you, you'd better start talking to them at least six months in advance. Of course, this also depends on the size of the company. The bigger it is, the slower the procedure will be, so you need to have a plan. If it's a smaller company, you may get a quicker response, but then again, they might not be able to provide much support to your company.

Of course, just getting in touch with a company isn't going to be enough. First of all, you need to make sure that your message goes through. Sending an email to a random address inside of the company isn't going to guarantee an answer. Ideally, you should meet the person in charge of the sponsorship and present your case to them during a face-to-face meeting. If you do send an email, be sure to call and make sure someone has noticed it, and keep calling back until you get an answer.

The contents of your email are going to determine whether you get a chance or not. I can't stress enough how important it is for you to double-check your grammar. Also, you shouldn't write a mile-long proposal, try to stick to the facts. Some people might get hundreds of sponsorship requests a day, you need to make their job easier, not more difficult. And most importantly, you need to understand that any potential sponsorship should result in a win-win situation.

Unless both sides win, no agreeement can be permanent

Companies aren't just going to through money at you without expecting something in return. The service you provide in exchange should render an increase in their profits, or it should provide efficient advertising for their products and servicing. I would even suggest you go for a video presentation, where you mix shots of yourself talking about your career in motorsports, plans for the future, benefits for the company, and shots of you competing.

As I've mentioned before, you need to think of a serious list of benefits you can provide the company with. Adding company stickers on your racing gear and putting up a few promo items in your paddock area isn't going to be enough. Consider the idea of vlogging about your involvement in motorsports and offer product placement and advertising within your videos. You need to have some kind of fan base to raise any potential partner's interest, so it may take time for you to get there.

It would be important for you to also have professional photos from every event you go to. That way you'll have good content for your Social Media and your partners. But I'll get into more details about content creation and social media strategies in a future story. I'll quickly touch base on a few other important aspects of sponsor chasing. And I'll start with commitment. Based on my real-life experience, if a company says no to your proposal the first time around, don't give up on that company.

Rise and rise again until lambs become lions

Try to realize how you can improve, and get back to them the next year, with a stronger proposal. If they're going to say no again, don't lose hope. Keep working hard for your dreams, and keep them in the loop about your progress. I've had a company saying yes to my proposal 4 years after our initial discussion. And as the saying goes "If they're going to through you out the door, just come back in through the window"

Last but not least, if you're going to be successful at finding sponsors, you'll need a separate budget just for that. I would suggest you start going to as many trade shows as possible and meeting up with as many industry professionals as possible. This can be a strong starting point for building a future relationship.

Also, do consider the idea that if you're going to secure anywhere between 5 to 10 sponsors, you should actively be sending out proposals and talking to at least 500 companies. Networking is crucial in this game, and the more people that get to you, the better!