The Business of Being a Race Driver for July 12, 2022

This week’s The Business of Being a Race Driver features a number of exciting developments. I bring you updates from Belinda Riseley from MotiV8 Training and what she has planned for the future, Megan Meyer on how to use your personality to build your racing social media, the 5 reasons why Pfaff thinks there is value in racing and more. I also bring you news of David Coulthard’s new initiative to identify and develop female racing talent and details of a new fan-centric racing team that hopes to develop young single-seater talent.

The Business of Racing

• You have seen me regularly link to the excellent and always helpful content from Belinda Riseley of MotiV8 Training. Speed Cafe checked in with Belinda where she explains what MotiV8 is up to and their plans for the future. “Her biggest motivation is helping younger drivers find their brand and passion. Sensing the difficulty of finding sponsorship for young drivers, it’s been her main focus for the online programme.”

• Megan Meyer has a great post on How to Use Your Personality to Build Your Racing Social Media. “Sharing your unique personality and racing stories online is essential because you need to stand out to separate yourself from the rest. It’s not high school anymore: We don’t want to fit in, we want to stand out!“

• Chris Baylis of The Sponsorship Collective on Facebook has released a replay of his presentation on how to build a sponsorship proposal the right way. The training covers:
  • How to structure a proposal
  • What sponsors actually want to see
  • What to include to grab the attention of your prospects

• Sport Dimensions looks at the issue of whether businesses should be Consistent or Repetitive in their quest for sponsorship ROI. “Set yourself up so that everything you do enhances what you already have, creating new layers of value. This approach takes discipline and can be especially difficult to stick with during difficult or unusual operating environments but will prove endlessly valuable for your brand. Don’t mistake repetitive with consistent.”

• If you are trying to convince a potential sponsor of the value of motorsport sponsorship, have a look at five reasons why Pfaff sees value in going racing. “Laurance Yap, creative director for Pfaff Automotive Partners and all-around racing advocate, says he’s identified no fewer than five ways that Pfaff’s involvement in motorsport has helped it in its day-to-day operations.”

The Costs of Racing

• David Coulthard and his business partner Karel Komarek have launched the driver development program for women they call More Than Equal as they work to bring a female driver to F1. He explains to Motorsport.com why women racers are more than equal. “More than equal will seek through data and research to break down misconceptions about women racers, such as lack of strength, aggression, or willingness to put themselves in harm’s way. These have created barriers in the past. Coulthard cites female boxers like Olympic champion Nicola Adams and female combat pilots who served in Afghanistan. He firmly believes that racers do not consider that they can get hurt when they get into a racing car and dismisses any suggestion that it is different for women. He cites his own poignant example of getting his first F1 drive for Williams in 1994, replacing the recently deceased Ayrton Senna.” Coulthard was also interviewed in Females in Motorsport.

• With the news that Ferdinand Habsburg is setting up Rebel Team, the first fan-owned and run sportscar team for next year’s World Endurance Championship, part of the plan will be funding young drivers. “He also raised the prospect of the community he is setting up deciding to fund an up-and-coming driver in single-seaters. “My goal is give a platform to fans who could support a driver coming out of Formula 4 who doesn’t have the money to move up to Formula 3, and maybe to fund the first ever fan-supported Formula 1 driver,” he said.”