JMEZZI
May 14, 2009, 10:52am
1
And by that I mean being sponsored, paid, and basically having it become my full time job. I love riding my bike but it’s always been on the backburner in my life for me to actually get out there and race for a living.
Do I go to local bike events and hope “scouts” are in the stands to recognize talent? (sorta like how hockey players are picked up) or do I start out paying to race and then eventually after so many races I call around to see if I can get sponsored by different companies?
Not sure if anyone on this board gets to race for a living but any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
it’s probably like most racing… you buy your way in and if you’re doing better than those around you then people will come knocking.
walter
May 14, 2009, 11:17am
3
Where is the thread that I posted entitled “So you want to start motorcycle racing”? It must have been on the 'barf.
You’ll need to start by getting licensed in the series you’d like to race (most likely WERA). At this level it’ll be you pounding the street to find local shops willing to sponsor you for reduced prices, etc. You’ll be able to win contingency money for placing on the podium (and below depending on the class) but it helps offset costs, and won’t pay for racing by a long shot.
Now after you’ve won National WERA championships, you may start getting in to AMA. You’ll likely run AMA for a while as a privateer, again, scraping what you can.
Once you start winning against the big guys, they’ll start noticing, and then you’ll start having a shot at having a paid gig.
The reality is most racers start racing long before they can even legally drive. A tremendous amount of skill and luck are required, as well as a hefty personal bank roll. The vast majority of people that race do it because they love it, and love to compete, not for the money, because it is so impossibly difficult to get to that level.
The more success you have, the easier it will be to get sponsored, but without knowing people it will take proven winning ability in recognized series to even get in the door.
Everyone would love to race for free.
Even more people would love to get paid for it.
Want to know how to make a million dollars in racing?
start with a billion.
Want to know how to make a million dollars in racing?
start with a billion.
walter
May 14, 2009, 11:20am
6
walter
May 14, 2009, 11:23am
8
Xpost from my local forum:
Tips on Getting and Keeping Sponsorship
Take the plunge and go for it. Don’t think that you have to be a racer for so many years and you have to have won a ton of trophies in the past year to get sponsored. Many don’t even apply for sponsorships because they feel for some reason or another they’re “not good enough.” You don’t know until you try. The worst they can say is “no.” If that’s the case, then move on and try the next company.
Create a resume. Ask your racing friends for a copy of their resume to use as an example. Spend a lot of time creating a racing resume. It’s just like a job resume. The more professional looking, the better. Print it out on high-quality paper (i.e. resume paper that has a watermark). Companies get a ton of resumes, and you want yours to stand out in the pile. If you have a team logo, put that on the resume. Put all of your contact info at the top, including your e-mail address. Many companies respond via e-mail, so you’ll want an electronic version that you can send out. List an objective, what bike(s) you will be racing, your website address if you have one, a brief list of experience and accomplishments, and most importantly, your goals for the upcoming season. Don’t worry too much about accomplishments if you don’t have many. For example, my first resume listed how many track days I had done the previous year, what tracks I had experience on, and what races I had participated in (I had only raced for 3 months). You want to focus more on the future than the past. Keep it to 1 page maximum. You want it to be a quick look at what your goals and objectives are. Leave the long details for the cover letter, or for a more detailed proposal package. Check your spelling and grammar. Have several people proofread it.
Create a cover letter. This is where you personalize the request for sponsorship to each company. Be as clear as possible as to what kind of support you would like. For example: “I am seeking sponsorship for the 2003 season in the form of product contributions or discounts, or donation of funds.” Refer to your enclosed/attached resume. You can list more details on your past accomplishments, but again, focus more on the future and your goals. Why should the company sponsor you over another racer? Remember, you are an advertising outlet for the company. What are the specific things you are going to do to bring visibility to their company and products? List the promotional benefits that you can provide such as logos on your transport trailer/vehicle, links from your team’s website, etc. Also let them know you will be keeping them updated over the season. Refer to your contact information, and how they can contact you for questions. Thank them for their consideration, and sign the letter. Use the same high-quality paper as the resume. Again, check the spelling and grammar and have several people proofread it. If you have a photo of you racing, you can include that as well as an enclosure (be sure to put your name and contact info on the back of the photo).
Apply, apply, apply. Now that you are prepared, it’s time to start getting contact info on where to send your resume and cover letter. Ask your racing friends that are sponsored for contact info. Check out the winter issues of magazines like Roadracing World. During the winter, everyone places an ad in those types of magazines and thanks their sponsors. Write down all the possible sponsors from those and do web searches for the company’s contact info. Many companies will put an ad in the magazines requesting race resumes for the upcoming season. Definitely answer those. Also, try asking non-motorcycle related companies for sponsorship. Explain how you are a visible racer in the roadracing community and you can bring attention to their company’s name. You may get a check in the mail from such companies. The best time to send out resumes is from about October to December. The previous season is winding down and people are getting ready for the next season during that time. Basically, send out as many resumes as possible to the companies that you would like to support. Then sit and wait for responses.
Accepting sponsorship. Usually within a few weeks of sending out your resume, you’ll get a response. The first packet outlines what the sponsorship offer is and what requirements you must meet. There’s usually a contract to sign as well, in which you agree to the terms of the sponsorship offer (i.e. display company/product logo stickers on bike, list company as a sponsor on race entry forms, link to sponsor website from your site, etc). Remember that once you accept an offer, you should decline other offers from companies that offer similar products. For example, you can’t really support 2 different oil companies. If this happens, be sure to write a polite letter to the company of the offer that you must decline, and ask them to provide the offer to the next awaiting racer. It’s also a good idea to contact each company by phone once you accept an offer. This lets them meet you over the phone, which is a bit more personal than e-mail.
Be a professional sponsored racer. Again, you are advertising a company’s products. It doesn’t look very good to display unsportsman-like conduct while trying to promote products. You should be a positive representation of the sport. You need to work for that discount/donation check/product freebie that you’re getting from the company. Your focus is to drive people to that line of products. Remember, they saw you as an outlet for bringing customers their way.
Keep your sponsors updated. Let them know how your season is going, and how their products are working. Let them know what special things you have done to promote the sport and their products. Have you gone out of your way and done something a bit different to bring customers to them? Let them know! Keep them updated on a regular basis.
Use your sponsor’s products. Don’t just make one order for a small item at the beginning of the season and never use them again. They’re giving you support, so be sure you take advantage of the opportunity. Often, they also look for feedback from their sponsored racers on how well their product performs.
Form a relationship with your sponsor. The first year is often the trial period. If they’re happy with what you did for them the first year, the next year they may increase the level of support. Tip #7 helps in forming this relationship.
Be creative! For all of these tips, be creative and add your own twist. The more you stand out, the better!
A final note: If this sounds like a lot, well in many ways, it is. You need to earn sponsorship support, and that takes commitment and time. It’s a lot more than putting stickers on a bike. But there are many benefits if you’re willing to spend the time!
–Courtesy of Precision Strike Racing
(again, special thanks to Marge for originally posting this on the old version of GSB)
http://www.motoracewiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=New_Racer_FAQ
JMEZZI
May 14, 2009, 11:45am
9
Wow, thanks for the info! I’m gonna look more into this. Thanks again!
Wanna make a small fortune racing… start out with a large fortune.
thats how i heard it.
My dad used to race Speedway for 25 years It took him 23 years winning and such to get sponsored and start making good money … then had a bad crash and he was done for good… but it will not happen overnight
Go out there and be inhumanly fast. When you’re doing things no mortal could possibly do on such a shitty piece of equipment, people will notice.
Geehee
May 14, 2009, 12:26pm
13
FWIW, DiSalvo started when he was 2. I’ve seen the bike.
