I think this is the right part of the forum to ask about this, apologies if it isn't.
But how do sponsorships work for a car? Would my car just become a billboard for someone with no real benefit?
I'm not talking about like Dunlop sponsoring me and kicking me contingency tires for winning. I'm talking like, could my boss at the restaurant sponsor me, and I defer certain costs to him? Or could I sell "ad space" to some local businesses? Or maybe make a contract where if I win I get cash money as long as my car is wearing his stickers?
I honestly don't even know if I'm explaining it right. Basically, I want someone else to help pay for parts to my car, and I'm willing to allow vinyl sticker placements for that to happen. Maybe wear Tshirts or hats at events, and have some business cards on the rare occasions I go to a car show.
Or even if my website could sponsor my car, I don't know the legalities or financial aspects of doing that, but would it be a way to offset some costs?
I'm planning on "sponsoring" my region next year, through the website. $1000 will get the end of year drivers challenge named the "revskitchen.com drivers challenge" and a mention at every event. I think it's worth it just to give back to the club, but it's not the kind of sponsorship I have in mind for myself.
My boss sponsers two dirt track cars. In exchange for a sticker on the passenger fender the team gets 3 cases of whatever penzoil oil they would like.
My buddy owns a brewery. My chump team put a big decal of his company on the car's hood. He give us $200 and a couple cases of beer for each race. We're pretty much pros :)
Basically, what you offer to the business is publicity. You get their name in front of potential customers to either reach new customers or to build a reputation.
In return, they offer you something. Could be parts, could be expertise, could be labor, could be money.
The value of what each of you has to offer varies and has to be negotiated. Some guys just like the idea of having a sponsor, as it makes them more legit. Some need to to actually make the race effort happen.
That may seemvery simplistic, but it's the fundamental goal. Both of you benefit. Your job as a racer is to convince the business how much of a benefit you can be. Instead of coming to them and saying "what can I do for you?", come up with a plan and say "here's what I can do for you!". You're selling yourself, basically applying for a job.
I'm ignoring the stupid millenial "sponsorship" where a company gives you 25% off whatever and a couple of stickers with no followup. That's at most a way to get stickers on as many cars as possible, and at least an easy way to make all the requests go away. It's what the article linked above discusses. Corbeau does this, for example.
I do sponsor myself. Basically, it's a marketing expense for my books. Helps with taxes 
That article was definitely worth the read. I'm probably going to have to read it a couple more times when I'm not in a rush to really take it all in.
Marketing for the books... I knew there was a way. Going to be a busy winter with the website after all.
I was kind of thinking "hey boss, since I run my car in 3 different counties, and it's a Japanese car, why don't we put your Japanese restaurant logo on the hood and you help me out with tires for next season" maybe offer a co drive spot for events too.
Big dreams and small budgets don't mix.
If you take something of value in exchange for something of value in a business relationship, you and your race team are now a business and should be treated and taxed accordingly. I don't think that a deal to mount and balance tires in exchange for decals from the neighborhood tire shop will catch anyone's attention, but putting this out there as a reminder of what you are talking about doing when you are searching for sponsorship.
PDoane
New Reader
9/16/16 6:42 a.m.
Three big "light bulb" moments for me about sponsorship. The first was one line from Bob Sharp at the 1984 SCCA Nationals at Lime Rock. "Don't tell potential sponsors what the racing costs, tell them how much value they get for the money they spend" Another was my sponsor hunt for the Bosch-VW Pro Super Vee series in 1985. Bosch and VW had assembled a really great package to help competitors get sponsors. It had demographics on the race fans, TV and media coverage figures, really good stuff that showed a Super Vee team should get about $500,000 worth of exposure over the season. Budget was only going to be $200,000 so I thought it should be easy. Simple math, great value. Cold calls and letters to the VP of Marketing get you nowhere. Even if your ideas for marketing their product are the greatest. Gotta have a way to get the ear of the one guy who can make that kind of decision. Even then it's not a lock, but at least you don't get screened off the playing field by a secretary or marketing flunky. P.S. Looking back I'm sure the Bosch-VW data was skewed heavily/unrealistic because the Pro Super Vee series ran as a support event for CART/Indy Cars back then. When I finally did get a "quid pro quo" sponsorship with a local gas station, I found a template for a sponsorship agreement and beside the usual which party is obligated to do what parts, there was the indemnity clause. Some company has their name on your property, so heaven forbid if they get sued for something the indemnity clause protects your property from being considered part of the sponsor's property. It works the other way too. If the race team/owner gets sued over something, the sponsor can't be "attacked" as part of the team's equity.
If you are racing the Miata in your avatar, are you at least signed up with Mazda's Motorsport Development Program? All you have to do is send them a few race results per year to show them you are actually racing the car. Parts aren't free, but are at significantly lower cost than "open market" prices. I've been signed up for a couple years now and only ever used the parts service once, but it was ridiculously easy. Call the program during business hours, tell them what you need, they look up the part number if you don't know it, put it in your account/cart, you pay, it arrives at your house 2-3 days later. I ended up saving 35-40% off of "dealer" pricing.
If it was important to me, I guess I could technically say I'm "sponsored" by Mazda. No begging, no stickers and no real obligations other than to get out and run once in a while.
In reply to kazoospec:
THANKS FOR REMINDING ME. Holy E36 M3, I was all excited and angry I wasn't getting the time sheets at the beginning of the year, then I totally spaced on signing up with them. Gonna go do that now.
In reply to Driven:
I don't have a problem funding myself, at least regionally, although I see how it came across that way. I just don't like leaving money on the table, and if there's a way I can get someone else to buy tires or suspension bits, I'd rather save that money for travel costs or buying another vehicle.
The sign shop I got my numbers from sponsors a sprint car on the other side of the state. He didn't want to talk specifics about that sponsorship when I asked him though. I think he thought I wanted free numbers, I just wanted to know how it worked. I don't personally know anyone that is sponsored, at all, so it's a hard thing to figure out.
My accountant can only help so much with business aspects, as he really doesn't know a thing about cars or racing or this sort of thing.
In my head, I'm thinking when I revamp my website and actually turn it into a proper business, I'm going to take a combined front of cooking and car so that I can essentially sponsor myself and be my own offline advertising at the same time.
One tip: don't spell it "sponser". That'll get you tossed right away. Unless you're racing a Camero, maybe.
Also, please don't offer facebook likes and shares in lieu of payment...
