How do you go about gettind a sponsor?

Question,Has anyone out there know how do you go about getting sponsor for racing?
Has anyone have experience with this type of subject? any coments welcome, positive ones.
Regards Juan
www.geocities.com/titos88911/MY911.HTML

Getting a sponsor is not as hard as keeping one. You have to demonstrate value for money spent with you. What are the sponsor's goals-" advertise their product" , sure. But what is their main demographic? If its not where you play with your car, then you are wasting both your efforts. We feel when someone starts in competition that it is best to take baby steps towards sponsorhip. If you are only going to be competing 100 miles away from the sponsor's only store, it does them no good (unless the products he sells are the "one and only around") So , how do you make that sponsor happy? For example:Take a local auto parts store. He may not sell Porsche parts but you can use brake fluid, batteries, cleaning sprays, machine shop work (turn those rotors), etc on both the race car AND the tow vehicle. Unfortunately he is located 150 miles minimum from your local track. So how do you bring him in? We would suggest you talk to them and see if they have any interest in neighborhood car shows, holiday parades, mall displays. That it how you can repay the store for supplying you with services and goods. Is it going to be worth it? That is up to you. You have to decide how much time you can put into schlepping the car around, never being cranky in "public" when something goes wrong with the car, always- always-always keeping the car/ tow rig/trailer squeaky clean, providing the aut shop with nice pictures, pumping the local newspapers with small stories on how you took your race car to the local charity function and gave deserving children rides or photos alongside. Once you establish a record with several of the small local sponsors, you start thinking of good contacts you have. Real estate companies, some local banks, etc. All the while you are connecting with the community. This is what gets you noticed. If you are uncomfortable with the attention, work another job and sponsor yourself. Sponsor aquisition and fulfillment is a full time job for the pro teams. Hope this helps some.Good luck!
Dave Bouzaglou
President PRO Racing Series
www.pro-racing.com

How about sending this cover letter to major corporations?

"Dear Walt Disney Corporation:
Hi. I participate in illegal and unsupervised street races at high speeds on public roads. I am wondering if you would be interested in being connected with me and formally sponsoring my activities. I will prominently display your logo on my car, and I am SURE that at some point in the future, you will receive some MAJOR publicity! Photos of my car may very well some day be in the newpaper and on TV! And, if you are lucky, my car will still be in a large enough piece so that people can see who was helping finance me and my activities! And, if I am still alive, I will tell everyone (what the papers will probably rudely call "horrified onlookers") about you!
Please make the check payable to me. Thank you."

I think that should work.

BTW- Your car is a beautiful street car. DO NOT modify the current motor to go racing. The list is long and endless- been there /done it. Find a decent used race car in your area. Take along a well experienced racer to check it out. Buy a normally aspirated car and get used to what racing is about before going the turbo route. The waters run very very deep.....

Good luck.

Unless you are a marketing whiz you will have a very tough time getting much of anything. Especially if you are just starting out and have no history.

There are more than a few Solo II national champions that have no sponsorship. In club racing you won't fair much better. If you are up to the Speedvision series or American Le Mans you might do better.

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Jeff Parker
72t

Grassroots Motorsports Magazine did an article on just such a subject not long ago. I would recomend connecting them to get the back issue.

In a nut shell, the article said to creat a flier or folder showing the driver and car as well as a write up on what and how many events will be attended. It was very good and worth the money for the back issue. They also talk about keeping sponcors happy.

Good Luck,



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Dave
1970 914-6 (soon GT)

Heh Juan, you out there?.
Check you e-mails, I sent you one a minute ago!.
Was that your car parked outside Bob's newstand on Andrews Ave this evening?
rgds Ben

JBanks, Too funny.