It is time to start preparing for 2027 and this week’s Business of Being a Race Driver will explain why. I also have a webinar you should attend (hint it happens today), bottom-up branding explained and much more.
Overview
The Business of Racing
Bottom-Up Branding
Tired of being told your program isn’t “big enough” for a partnership with a major brand? In this episode of Racer on Demand, Megan and Amanda sit down with Troy Green, Midwest Sales Rep for Maxima Racing Oil and a 25-year engine building veteran, to discuss why Maxima is shifting away from pro-level banners to invest in the volume and loyalty of grassroots racers. Troy pulls back the curtain on how you can act as a marketing extension for a global brand, proving that your value isn’t just a sticker—it’s in the content you create and the connections you already have.
You can watch the episode above.
How to Raise Sponsorship to Race
Sponsorship can be an art, but hit these key areas and you’ll get there. Forseti explains how to raise sponsorship on their Instagram post here.
Sponsorship Deck Advice
DriveLine has some great sponsorship deck advise on their LinkedIn post here. “Most junior racing sponsor decks fail before a marketing director finishes the first page.”
The New Era of Motorsports Sponsorship: AI, ROI, Expectations & Avoiding Scams
Join Epartrade for Episode #626 of the Race Industry Now tech webinar series – “The New Era of Motorsports Sponsorship: AI, ROI, Expectations & Avoiding Scams” by VSC Race Works.
Wednesday, June 24 at 9:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST: Click here to register
Featuring Mike DeFord, Business Development Director, VSC Race Works. Hosted by Brad Gillie from SiriusXM, Ch. 90, Late Shift.
No charge to attend.
It’s Time to Begin Securing Funding for Your 2027 Race Season
The Pure Performance Group explains in their Instagram post why it’s time to begin securing funding for your 2027 race season. “Do you have your race program mapped out, your full budget understood, and every major obligation accounted for?”
OnlyFans and Athletic Sponsorship
This will be controversial to some but I will let you decide how you feel about the fact that some athletes are using OnlyFans as a method to raise funds for their sporting careers including at least one driver and race team that I am aware of.
“Athletes have a couple of different ways to earn on the platform. Some athletes simply sign up and earn on their own through subscriptions, tips, paid messages, and pay-per-view content. (The platform takes a 20% cut of everything; the creator keeps the rest.) Others sign annual sponsorship contracts, structured much like any other brand partnership with social media deliverables and content requirements.”
Read the full article on Front Office Sports here.
Remembering the Driver Who Transformed F1 Sponsorship
Renowned sponsorship expert and former racing driver Guy Edwards dies this week. You may not be familiar with his career or famous book “Sponsorship and the World of Motor Racing” but I encourage you to read Jim Wright’s tribute to the man on The Race.
“For me, Guy will be fondly remembered for establishing sponsorship models which have stood the test of time and are still being used albeit in digital guises to this very day. For Guy realised that creating value for his partners was the key to longevity and (at that stage of his career) to be able to continue to race and to live his dream.”
On the Podcast This Week
The Mindset Shift That Will Help You Identify Sponsors Featuring Jim Bowie
On this week’s podcast, motorsport industry veteran Jim Bowie explains why drivers need a fundamental mindset shift when it comes to securing sponsorship. From the power of B2B partnerships to identifying the right prospects and leveraging AI-driven research, Jim shares practical insights that can help drivers build more effective sponsorship programs.
The episode drops on Wednesday, June 24th and you can subscribe, download and listen to it here.
General Motorsport Marketing Advice & Resources
How to Evaluate Sponsorships
Sponsorship strategy advisor Ricardo Fort has created an interactive model to help you score the 17 ways brands can use sponsorships to create value across his specified dimensions. You can access the interactive scorecard here.
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.
