Why a cold sponsorship deck fails and what you can do to change that is just some of the advice found in this week’s Business of Being a Race Driver. I also have details on why you need to build a community, 10 career defining lessons from the podcast and much more!
Overview
The Business of Racing
10 Career-Defining Lessons from the Motorsport Prospects Podcast
To celebrate the milestone 10th episode of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast, I’ve distilled 10 of the most valuable career lessons shared by guests on the show. Whether you’re already racing or working toward a future in motorsport, these actionable insights can help guide your development both on and off the track.
Read the full article with links to each podcast episode here. Don’t forget to sign up to the podcast here!
Why a Cold Deck Fails
Every week a junior driver or their family sends a sponsorship deck to a company they admire, attaches it to a cold email, and waits. Almost none of these work. Dan Wells from Drivers Lab explains why, and what does work, because the families who understand this stop wasting time on the approach that fails.
Read Dan’s full post on LinkedIn here.
Why You Need to Build a Community Featuring Will Marotti
Last week on the Motorsport Prospects Podcast I spoke with Will Marotti. Will is the founder of Speedway Venture Studio, founder and owner of Marotti Autosport and the host of The Pits Are Open.
Will explains the importance of thinking of your career as a business and why you need to lessen your reliance on sponsorship by focusing on and monetizing a community interested in your racing journey.
Listen to the full episode here!
Proton Taps Multiple Manufacturer Connections for a Young Talent-rRch Le Mans LMP2 Line-Up
Thanks to a mutual connection in Japan, Proton Competition has been able to bring together two young stars of two rival manufacturers’ sports car racing programs together in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“The common thread that links them is the Seven x Seven sponsorship; the hotel is one of the properties in the portfolio of Kasumigaseki Capital, a rapidly growing Japanese real estate firm which is looking to expand to the U.S., namely with a new property in Miami which is being advertised on the No. 9 car.”
Read about this real-world example of motorsport networking on RACER here.
Two Questions Killed My Sponsorship Deal. Here’s What Fixed It
A potential sponsor asked Kelly Pfleiger two questions. He couldn’t answer either one, and that stung like hell. Read Kelly’s post on LinkedIn to see what the questions were and why he couldn’t answer them here.
General Motorsport Marketing Advice & Resources
Motorsport Sponsorship Intel for Companies
If you are a business looking into getting involved in motorsport sponsorship, the RTR Sports Marketing website is a treasure-trove of valuable insight. Here are just two articles you should read this week.
- Benefits of Motorsport Sponsorship: Advantage Guide for Brands
- What Is Motorsport Sponsorship Activation? Complete Brand Guide (2026)
The Costs of Racing
Today’s Race Suits: More Comfortable Than Ever, Easier On the Wallet
Grassroots Motorsports looks at the costs of today’s race suits and offers some advice to today’s race driver.
“Performance fabrics and construction have come a long way, even just in the last few years,” explains Kevin Albino of Holley Performance Brands, who oversees several safety brands including RaceQuip, Simpson, Stilo and more. “I think you’ll be surprised when you compare this stuff to your old suit.”
Read the full article here.
The Prize Money Myth: What Racing Really Costs, From Karting to Formula 1
Ask most people how a racing driver makes a living and they will tell you the same thing: you win races, you collect the prize money, and the better you get, the more you earn. It is a tidy story. It is also almost entirely wrong. From a child’s first kart to a seat on the Formula 1 grid, motorsport is one of the few sports on earth where the athletes overwhelmingly pay to compete rather than get paid to. Prize money, at the level where most drivers actually operate, barely exists.
In The Prize Money Myth: What Racing Really Costs, From Karting to Formula 1, Justin Mifsud dispels this myth and explains what it really costs to race today.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects and the host of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
