How does racing and sponsership work?

[JoeMarano]

Went down to Snetterton today and met a few people etc and I wouldnt mind doing some races myself.

Obviously cars have sponsers etc how do you go about getting them? How does it work? There's no way I could afford to buy a 182, have it prepped and compete in the 182 series for example without one.

 

[...]

In which case move on to another hobby ....... 100% completely and utterly serious .

How does sponsership work at club level racing ?

All cars will bear the series sponsor logo's , this will be a championship requirement and gets you £0

any personal sponser you are basically asking someone to give you a wad of cash for zero or less return , if you can convince someone thats worth doing then your doing ok.

you would need to prep and sort your car yourself including purchase , and then even with any small amount of sponsership you could find stump up the average amount of 1k per weekend it would cost you to run in the production class of say the tricolor trophy in a 182 .

it may sound harsh but i would rather be honest , 99% of club racers pay for their racing from their own pocket.

And when people ask me , karting that must be cheaper ............... think again , its about the same , and goes UP depending on the championship .

 

[Steven103]

Flip conventional thinking on it's head, so to speak. They're not giving you money in order to build a race car. They are buying a marketing package from you.

That package includes passenger laps for VIPs, complimentary tickets to race days, advertising space on a car (= TV & Youtube minutes/hours), borrowing your car to put on show at trade events (even if you're sponsored by Joe Blogg's Plumbing Supplies Ltd which has nothing to do with plumbing, a race car will attract attention at a Plumbing trade show and get people looking at Joe Blogg's trade stand)


EDIT: Harv's post highlights that my comments are more based upon how sponsorship is obtained. In club racing you'll probably find the average car is 30% mandatory title sponsors and 70% stickers advertising the driver's own/mate's company.

A really interesting point in modern GT/sports car racing is the increasing popularity of Pro/Am shared drives. In British GT for example, a wealthy gentleman "amateur" could expect to pay a team £20k for a race weekend which covers the cost of the Pro driver.

 

[StuOwen86]

local businesses and companies I would assume not sure what you could offer in return except the advertising. I was going to let my brother sign up my track car (he is a Ggas fitter/Plumber) in return for a set of tyres or something lol as we mainly do Oulton park and thats fairly local to us... plus looks more racer with sponsors haha thinking about it my dad owns his own computer firm and is halfs with me on my clio might get some tax right off donations from him lol

 

[...]

Flip conventional thinking on it's head, so to speak. They're not giving you money in order to build a race car. They are buying a marketing package from you.

That package includes passenger laps for VIPs, complimentary tickets to race days, advertising space on a car (= TV & Youtube minutes/hours), borrowing your car to put on show at trade events (even if you're sponsored by Joe Blogg's Plumbing Supplies Ltd which has nothing to do with plumbing, a race car will attract attention at a Plumbing trade show and get people looking at Joe Blogg's trade stand)

and 9 times out of 10 , Joe bloggs plumbing emblazens its logos on his own car , or that of another family member


plucking sponsership of any considerable amount from someone you have no relationship with thats fairly close in one way or another is pretty slim.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

I'd say more than 99 times out of a hundred, people that race cars are doing it as amateurs (i.e. paying to compete, not being paid to compete).

You will not get someone to pay you to do it unless you've got a lot of talent, which you probably haven't (not trying to be harsh).

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

And when people ask me , karting that must be cheaper ............... think again , its about the same , and goes UP depending on the championship .

Not if you're talking things like Club100 though. Cheaper than a car track day unless I've missed something.

 

[C l a r k e y]

When I was thinking about racing, I asked a racer or some advise.
He said " I hope you have deep pockets "
An average weekends racing for me cost £500.

 

[JoeMarano]

It was just an idea. I like the thought of actually racing against almost identical cars. Trackdays just aren't the same. Im sure I could convince a local business to sponser me as I would put the work in for them. Perhaps I should just give up and carry on with trackdays and save the cash for my son when he gets older....

 

[Steven103]

and 9 times out of 10 , Joe bloggs plumbing emblazens its logos on his own car , or that of another family member :wink:
plucking sponsership of any considerable amount from someone you have no relationship with thats fairly close in one way or another is pretty slim.

Yeah I completely agree, "racing with family money" is abundant in TOCA and well into the upper echlons of Single Seater stuff, let alone Tin Tops, Arrowpak, Britcar Trophy etc.

As you say, you're not going to solicit money from randomers just because you want to go racing for fun. If you want it to be someone elses money (excluding family/business partner etc) there needs to be a business case.

I would put the work in for them.

What does that mean in your eyes? (genuine question)


P.S. You'll be amazed at how little "paid" racing drivers get paid. Lots of benefits (house in the EU, US, Japan etc depending on where you race that season), company car, race weekend expenses covered etc but little in terms of cash.

 

[JoeMarano]

Putting the car on show outside their premesis, attending stalls/displays/events with them and the car. Displaying their logo on the car/overalls/clothes. If neccessary actually working for them when they need me to etc

Basically being an all round marketing tool for the business.

 

[JoeMarano]

Like everyone here says though its unlikely to happen.

I think best case scenario is to prep a 182 to the ktec spec if need be over a period of time and then maybe do a weekend or two a year just for fun.

I very much dislike the motorsport clique and I generally despise anyone with any sort of wealth (long story lol) I think its unfair that people get to have fun due to them being rich

 

[JoeMarano]

Just saw Tony's thread on the 206gti's....that seems much more affordable than 182's.

 

[...]

Not if you're talking things like Club100 though. Cheaper than a car track day unless I've missed something.

I wasn't counting club 100 which is a step above indoor corperate Karts , its very restricted in spec ,tyres so performance is way down but it is an afordable way to go racing .
however count up the cost of doing a tests day and an event which you should be doing at different tracks and looking at it its 175 for a days racing plus 142 for an hours testing
thats not cheap for arive and drive restricted karts .

Just saw Tony's thread on the 206gti's....that seems much more affordable than 182's.

still 500 to 1k per race weekend for running costs plus entry fees plus travel and food .

 

[JoeMarano]

Meh. The rich are slow anyway. I'll continue to harass them on the road then lol

 

[Steven103]

Meh. The rich are slow anyway.

Tell that to the majority of the F1/GP2/GP3 grid

And by "rich" to be fair I do mean "children of the rich."

 

[...]

Meh. The rich are slow anyway. I'll continue to harass them on the road then lol

Really ?

You think so , as most grids on any given track will have some bloody quick rich people on , followed by some slightly slower wealthy people , and the rear brought up buy a group of slower doing ok in the finacial stakes

You will not find poor people in motorsport from karting to f1

However every now and again you will find a realitive exception

 

[JoeMarano]

Maybe I should have taken up a peasants sport like football lol

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

I wasn't counting club 100 which is a step above indoor corperate Karts , its very restricted in spec ,tyres so performance is way down but it is an afordable way to go racing .
however count up the cost of doing a tests day and an event which you should be doing at different tracks and looking at it its 175 for a days racing plus 142 for an hours testing
thats not cheap for arive and drive restricted karts .

Oh I'm not saying it's cheap, but it does seem like an affordable way to be a part of a competitive series.

 

[JoeMarano]

Im not into go karts tbh. I consider myself a capable with a fwd vehicle but last time I played with go karts my friends who have no interest in cars were much quicker than me lmao

 

[bob the builder]

thought i would add my 2 peneth as i have just started racing in the tricolore trophy this year in a 182.
if you are doing trackdays already then its not that bigger step.
a rough calculation on cost: car cat d £900
roll cage £800
seat £100
harness £100
fire extinguisher £100
transponder £200
battery cutoff £20
racing overalls between £80-£250
gloves £20
boots between £10-£50
helmet £150
race licence with go racing pack £400
club fees and race registration £175
race fees £330 per race
so all in up to your first race you are looking at about £3500 then about £500 per race after that.
then once you are racing it is fairly cheap it just the start up thats the costly bit but if you buy the gear through the year keeping an eye on ebay for good deals
then its easy enough.
trust me when i say its the best thing i have ever done and the people are fantastic, a real good friendly atmosfear.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

There is a difference between driving karts and cars fast. And I prefer cars too, but karts are still fun! Massive fun infact.

 

[JoeMarano]

Can I ask why you pay such a large race fee? Do you win anything if you win a race? I think at present the sensible option would be to buy a car that is used in a basic cheap race series and use and build up that for trackdays with a view to possibly doing some races. The costs are awfully off putting though!

 

[...]

Oh I'm not saying it's cheap, but it does seem like an affordable way to be a part of a competitive series.

Its pretty well respected as a stepping stone and finacially not far off Msa max racing to start with if you diy and get some half decent used kit

Then the costs start to escalate as you move up the grid

A half decent front running rotax max driver will be doing 12k a year minimum , and upwards from there

Your not going to be at the sharp end of super 1 and see any change from 60k in reality

I have a mate who i warned not to with his kids , he recons it had past 100k before they quit , and thats juniors

 

[Adam G]

£330 in Tricolore Trophy is cheap for a race fee. That gets you two races in the day. Our production or 206 Gti classes offer a cheaper option, as it is possible to drive the car to the event and hopefully keep it in one piece to drive it home. That's what I do.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

That's more money than I'm likely to ever have to play with for a hobby tbh!

Maybe one day I'll get into an amateur racing championship, but it would just be for fun - my cousin did a season in an E36 M3. Think the overall cost of the car was something like 30k. 1k per race weekend, I can't imagine it would differ much even if you raced 172s, unless of course there is a controlled (and cheap) tyre/brakes etc.

Even then you run the risk of writing off the car without insurance at every outing. Oh, and the new windscreen every other outing! I'm pretty good at replacing E36 windscreens!

 

[Steve]

Unless you are successful & at the front no one will pay anything for you or your car.
To be at the front you will need to visit the circuits you are racing at probably the week before.
So if you have £500 race fee your looking at another £500+ for a testday.
Why don't you pay to drive a couple of rounds of a series to test your talent & wallet.
I am toying with getting my ards & doing exactly that

 

[JoeMarano]

The more I look at it the more I think at age 31 its a bit late and to concentrate on my son who is 3 LOL

 

[C l a r k e y]

The more I look at it the more I think at age 31 its a bit late and to concentrate on my son who is 3 LOL

Not about age, all about spare cash
I started racing at 42.......

 

[...]

Not about age, all about spare cash :smile:
I started racing at 42.......

i started at 11 and finally officially stopped at 43 , i am most likely not completely done yet just decided to pursue other interests for a bit and i am now racing boats without engines !!

 

[harry289]

I'm only a tyre and exhaust fitter and I manage to be able to afford racing. I have a very small budget. No sponsorship. Its just about making sacrifices in other departments to be able to afford something you really want. For example I don't go out each week drinking.

As said above. 90% of sponsorship (other than that of championship decals) are their own/friends/family businesses. Or it could be that of a certain race preparation/support business.

 

[MG cup]

The key to finding sponsorship in club racing IMO is if that sponsor can supply something to you that's useful to your racing. I.e a trailer company supplying a trailer/marque. Food company supplying food for the weekend, haulage company that can give you fuel and or sort your vehicle if you have a truck etc.

That's what my friends do to race their Minis and do pretty well from the sponsorship tbh... Saying that their dad is a man about town and knows a lot of people, helps out these sponsors when required.

 

[...]

I'm only a tyre and exhaust fitter and I manage to be able to afford racing. I have a very small budget. No sponsorship. Its just about making sacrifices in other departments to be able to afford something you really want. For example I don't go out each week drinking.

As said above. 90% of sponsorship (other than that of championship decals) are their own/friends/family businesses. Or it could be that of a certain race preparation/support business.

Fair play to you harry , its tough to sacrifice things but if you can and some do then good on you

But you still need a decent disposable income to afford it however you make that happen

 

[Andy93]

I would love to get into racing. Car is there or thereabouts in terms of spec, it's been good to read the realistic costs in here, may have to take the leap and see what happens!

 

[Goodj]

Meh. The rich are slow anyway. I'll continue to harass them on the road then lol

As much as you don't need a driving license to race, it would help for getting to and from circuits.

With the attitude on display in this thread, you may be best off sticking to playing Forza instead.

 

[Advikaz]

Everything harv has said to be honest.

 

[Adam G]

Each race in our series (Tricolore Trophy / Track Attack) costs me about £500. I drive to and from the circuit on the same day so I don't have the costs of overnight stay or food etc. Just race fees and associated costs, such as fuel and wear and tear. Budget and location dictate how many races I enter. It probably helps that I'm centrally located.

 

[harry289]

Just put this in here...

Fair play to anyone starting racing on a small budget. I do it myself. But don't skimp on safety! Anything can happen out on track. If your car isn't prepared to a good enough standard and you have a heavy smash then it could well be fatal. Things like ballast, batteries and fire extinguishers need to be fully secured. If they are not and come out and hit you.... Good harness! Preferably 6 point as 4 points are more suspect to damaging internal organs as most people don't pull them tight properly over the waist/hips. Very good seat. They don't need to be in date but some out of date seats have failed in crashes so be aware. Buy a HANS device.

This happened in a race I was in on my first race weekend. I was about 3 cars behind and the smash sounded horrific.

 

[GrahamS]

Crikey^ hope that chap was okay.

A buddy of mine used to race in the abarth 500 series and the sponsorship was the business his family run. The additional sponsorship they had on the car was clearly their suppliers trying to maintain a good relationship with their clients but realistically it contributed only a fraction of the true cost. I believe they used to have to use the car for promotional purposes at shows and events etc. to claim the VAT back or something along those lines. It was a few years ago.

 

[mark123]

If you want some budget competitive motorsport lookup your local motor sport club and they'll have access to autosolo, autotests, 12 car rallies - all of which you can do in a std car without a special license or equipment. Then you have sprinting/hill climbs which you can do in a std car but require a fair bit of personal safety equipment. Stage rallies are another option but are similar budget to racing.
https://www.msauk.org/Clubs/Find-Clubs