The Business of Being a Race Driver for May 10, 2022-The Video Production Issue

This week in The Business of Being a Race Driver, I bring you some tips on producing video content for your branding and publicity needs, protecting your branding and imaging rights and the importance of understanding your sponsors’ business objectives. In The Costs of Racing, I look at a low-cost rallying series in the UK, the value of the GB4 Championship as explained by a driver competing in the series and the relative value of French F4 from those competing in the championship.

The Business of Racing

Video Tips and Techniques

Video Content is an important component of your online content, and yet many race drivers don’t know where to start. Here are a few resources to get you started.

• In Episode 115 of the Motorsport Coaching Podcast, race driver Flynn Mullany talks about video content for racers by a racer. He covers things such as
  • Video content ideas
  • How to get started with Video creation
  • Tools you can use to edit

• MotiV8 Training also has a free Video Checklist guide available at: https://www.motiv8training.com.au/videos

• Instagram loves video content and Megan Meyer Lingner brings you 11 Racing Reels to Spark Your Creativity. “Instagram is still loving reels! The short video format is still the most popular (and most rewarded) way to grow your audience. And while a scroll through Instagram or TikTok might make you feel like creating reels is an overwhelming task, I’m here to show you how easy and simple it can be! You don’t need to recreate the wheel; in fact, your odds of growth are best when you use a sound or style for inspiration for your own reels. Here are 11 of my favorite reels to get you started.“

Branding and Imaging Rights

The rights to your brand are extremely important to protect and nourish but unfortunately, this is a little understood area for most athletes. LawinSport has an excellent article that you should read, especially if you are based in the UK called The Lifecycle Of An International Athlete – Dealing With Branding And Image Rights. A few caveats to keep in mind:

• This article is focused on the UK so, while the general concepts will still be pertinent, you need to understand what applies in your particular jurisdiction and situation.
• Imaging and branding rights are protected through the legal process so it is imperative that you consult an attorney in your jurisdiction that is knowledgeable about the topic to best advise you.

What is Your Sponsor’s Objective?

It is critical that you understand the objectives of your sponsors in order to better understand what they need and expect from you. After all, sponsorship is a commercial arrangement with return on investment (ROI) goals that must be met. Sport Dimensions looks at this issue from the sponsors viewpoint and it is important that you understand this. “No matter where your objective comes from…forget impressions, forget views and for a moment forget what everyone is telling you to measure. Pretend no data is available and visualize your end goals for this initiative. Begin to work backward from what will get you there, step by step.”

The Costs of Racing

• In The pocket rockets bringing low-cost stage rallying to the fore, Motorsport UK looks at the growing popularity of the MINI Rally Challenge. “With the initial outlay of a road-faring model as cheap as £250, the modifications required to compete are minimal and largely focused on the suspension and differential, alongside the usual safety improvements to prepare the cars for competition. All in, a ‘rally-ready’ car generally totals around £7,000 and is fit for light gravel and tarmac events.”

• GB4 Championship driver Max Marzorati has written a well-argued opinion piece on Motorsport Prospects discussing the reasons why he feels Jonathan Palmer and the GB4 Championship are so important to driver development. “The reasons Jonathan Palmer and the GB4 Championship are so important are it actually produces a single-seater modern wings and slicks Championship at a fraction of the cost of Formula 4.”

• Recently the French F4 Championship kicked off at Nogaro and as reported in Formula Scout, some feel that this F4 series is one of the best deals on the continent. “One of the main selling points of the French series is lower costs than another championships. German rookie Max Reis, the youngest driver in the field, chose France over his home ADAC championship “because it’s half the price of Germany”.