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What is a Car Sponsorship?

C. Daw
C. Daw

Car sponsorship has become a very popular trend now with lot of companies providing handsome money for race car drivers to build and maintain their cars while giving the business a great way to advertise themselves. It has evolved into a business industry and a number of companies, big and small, use it as their corporate and promotional strategy for increasing their business exposure. Car sponsorship is actually a business and marketing strategy offered by the companies to the car owners, who display the organization’s logos and other ads on their cars. Some companies only sponsor sports cars, but some may do it on any car because they are more concerned about advertising then they are the actual car and driver.

For the driver, obtaining a sponsor, or sponsors, is not an easy task. It takes time and patience in order to obtain proper car sponsorship, especially for newer drivers that have not made a name for themselves yet. The more wins that a driver has, the better the companies will treat them, and the easier that it will be for them obtain and retain sponsors. As a driver, be sure to research and find the company offering the most because a contract will be drawn up, meaning that the company chosen will be the sponsor for at least the season. As a business owner, check the background and career of a driver, and the car, before offering to sponsor them. Drivers and companies must work together to ensure that they are a good match for each other.

Race car drivers are often sponsored by particular companies in exchange for advertising.
Race car drivers are often sponsored by particular companies in exchange for advertising.

One sure way to maximize the driver’s chances of obtaining a car sponsorship is to have a well maintained, clean looking car that has all the basic technology, as well as any upgrades that are available. From a business standpoint, an old beat up car will not be as appealing as a sharp looking one that is obviously taken care of. If a company chooses to sponsor the car, they will have their name associated with it, and people will naturally assume that if the car and driver look and perform bad, then the company will as well. Whether this is true or not is beside the point, people are very impressionable so it is important for the sponsor, and the driver, to maintain a respectable reputation and to maintain the car in winning form.

Driver's with well-maintained, impressive-looking race cars may win sponsors more easily than those with poorly maintained vehicles.
Driver's with well-maintained, impressive-looking race cars may win sponsors more easily than those with poorly maintained vehicles.

Drivers looking for a good sponsor will apply for the scholarship, along with numerous other drivers, so getting a good sponsor may be more difficult than it appears. Even though the company that does sponsor a car will use the investment as a tax write off at the end of the fiscal year, they will still have to take money from their monthly profits in order to live up to their side of the contract. A driver needs to be patient, maintain the appearance of the car, as well as themselves, as well as keeping up to date on racing rules and regulations and racing improvements. If this can be shown by a driver, whether they have any wins or not, a car sponsorship will eventually be secured by a company wanting to advertise on the car by offering a set amount of money for repairs and fees that always go along with racing.

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    • Race car drivers are often sponsored by particular companies in exchange for advertising.
      By: Alexey Stiop
      Race car drivers are often sponsored by particular companies in exchange for advertising.
    • Driver's with well-maintained, impressive-looking race cars may win sponsors more easily than those with poorly maintained vehicles.
      By: Christopher Dodge
      Driver's with well-maintained, impressive-looking race cars may win sponsors more easily than those with poorly maintained vehicles.