The Business of Being a Race Driver for January 11, 2022

The Business of Being a Race Driver covers the topics that often times dread such as building up a sponsorship deck, researching potential sponsors, networking and basically dealing with all the non-racing topics (yes that would be money) that are the necessary lifeblood of any successful race driver. Curated from top motorsport professionals from around the globe, these tips, techniques and resources should help you be as successful in the boardroom as on the race track.

As I mentioned yesterday, instead of publishing a Weekly Debrief covering a multitude of news racers can use, for 2022 I am breaking the topics down that have comprised the Weekly Debrief and publishing each topic on its own daily for ease of reading and access.

• The concept of the gentleman driver is fundamental to sports car racing and the vast majority of these drivers are highly successful business people. This article on Convention Nation asks the question: Why Are So Many CEOs Race Car Drivers? Or Rather, What I Learned About Business While Racing Cars.

• Tom Suddard has some great tips from 2017 that still apply in 10 lessons to keep your race effort disciplined.

• When preparing your sponsorship deck, Megan Ligner explains why you should Avoid This Sponsorship Package Structure.

• Not many people realize that, because racing is so expensive, many race drivers do not do it full time. Here is a great article explaining “the world’s greatest side hustle” in Michele Abbate Has The World’s Greatest Side Hustle: Race Car Driving.

• Heath McAlpine investigated the costs associated in going Excel racing in Australia in The Cost of Racing Hyundai Excels.

• The always well informed and entertaining Marshall Pruett has an eye opening article on what pro race drivers earn in the United States. Check out So, you want to be a pro driver. How much will you earn? As he points out in the introduction and wise words for anybody considering this as a career: A message to aspiring professional drivers from a prominent driver manager: “If you want to be a race car driver, don’t do it for money!”

• If you are planning on racing in the United States and you are not a US citizen, you may want to take heed of these 11 crucial concepts about U.S. immigration for international athletes.

• It may seem like the days of family-run racing teams are a distant memory but they still do exist and here are two examples. Nissan Sentry Cup champion Kevin King discusses his 2021 championship and what it takes to compete in a single car, family-run team and Formula Scout has the story of how a Swiss father-and-son team took on giants in F4.