DownUnder
Well-known member
Make it carlsberg and ill put RichardTPC stickers on my bike.
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Finding sponsors
- Thread starter dricked
- Start date
Make it carlsberg and ill put RichardTPC stickers on my bike.
GeorgeTheJeweller
Well-known member
Damn StompGrip still got me...lol
Attachments
For 2012, we were "Runner-Up Racing. Maybe our chosen name was our downfall, as we finished out the season just a couple points out of a championship win,LOL. Our endurance effort this yr started out as an idea, minutes before our first endurance race. "Wanna try it?" "Sure, why not!".....We surprised ourselves at how well we did (3rd place), and I had to admit that I enjoyed it immensely. Others had told me how much fun it was and I wasn't sure I believed them till we tried it. Our bike selection in that first race, however, cost us a championship win. Had we ridden one of our other bikes, all things being equal, we may have dominated the series by more than 10 points. Hindsight is 20/20, and it's true, endurance racing is a game of strategy and preparedness, which we learned as we went along, fighting from the bottom of the points list almost to the top. We had great help from other riders, both in the pits, and as stand in racers when we suffered injuries etc.
Myself, and both teamates Paul, and Outtacontrol had never raced more than 15-16 minute sprint races before this past endurance season, and I wasn't sure I had enough jam to ride for an hr straight, but with three of us, and enough fuel in the tank to race for more than an hr, that was always our strategy....less fuel stops and rider changes = more laps.
With the correct bike this time, our second race saw us a mere ten seconds out of a win. We lost time on poor pit stops and a bit of farming outside the carousel, but managed not to crash,LOL. The pitstop problems we vowed to fix, and manged to save a couple minutes each race after because of it (which = a couple laps).....then we won every race after. Sometimes I was riding as long as 80 minutes, others only a half hr when one of the teammates had a rythm going. All 3 of us lap within a second of eachother, all 3 of us can ride 60-80 minutes, and we don't have a stacked team full of experts. Just 3 novices who are willing and excited. In fact, every round, it's the endurance race that I look forward to most.
Without even having to bring up our racing successes, we have managed to get a couple really great sponsorships for next season already. The bike shops, trackside vendors and racing fans already know the score. I think they care less about how fast you are, and more about who you are.
We now have sponsorship help with entry fees, tires, bike service and maintainance. Even my local Honda car dealer has agreed to eat 20% off of OEM parts for us.
Our mission for next season has evolved, as we have begun seeing our team name and pics in a couple magazines etc. We now know we can gain awareness and get noticed, and can raise money and help for a charity that we want to help. We have decided that we want to help less fortunate families, specifically less fortunate kids in those families. The feedback has been great so far, and I hope that our sponsors can see that the 3 riders on our team, as well as our families and crew will all be great ambassadors of their businesses. I am also working on getting a sponsorship from companies outside of the motorcycling industry, because as John Bickle said, the bike shops are already tapped out. In this economy, with motorcycle ownership so low these days (compared to 1970-1995), bike shops don't have the profits to spend on sponsoring racers that they used to. The simple fact that not one factory rider in this whole country recieves a salaried ride speaks volumes on this point.
We hope to have an great racing season ahead, and are working on a few exciting new things to help raise awareness for our cause.
For the 2013 season, we are "Squids For Kids", racing to help less fortunate children in our own communities!
Myself, and both teamates Paul, and Outtacontrol had never raced more than 15-16 minute sprint races before this past endurance season, and I wasn't sure I had enough jam to ride for an hr straight, but with three of us, and enough fuel in the tank to race for more than an hr, that was always our strategy....less fuel stops and rider changes = more laps.
With the correct bike this time, our second race saw us a mere ten seconds out of a win. We lost time on poor pit stops and a bit of farming outside the carousel, but managed not to crash,LOL. The pitstop problems we vowed to fix, and manged to save a couple minutes each race after because of it (which = a couple laps).....then we won every race after. Sometimes I was riding as long as 80 minutes, others only a half hr when one of the teammates had a rythm going. All 3 of us lap within a second of eachother, all 3 of us can ride 60-80 minutes, and we don't have a stacked team full of experts. Just 3 novices who are willing and excited. In fact, every round, it's the endurance race that I look forward to most.
Without even having to bring up our racing successes, we have managed to get a couple really great sponsorships for next season already. The bike shops, trackside vendors and racing fans already know the score. I think they care less about how fast you are, and more about who you are.
We now have sponsorship help with entry fees, tires, bike service and maintainance. Even my local Honda car dealer has agreed to eat 20% off of OEM parts for us.
Our mission for next season has evolved, as we have begun seeing our team name and pics in a couple magazines etc. We now know we can gain awareness and get noticed, and can raise money and help for a charity that we want to help. We have decided that we want to help less fortunate families, specifically less fortunate kids in those families. The feedback has been great so far, and I hope that our sponsors can see that the 3 riders on our team, as well as our families and crew will all be great ambassadors of their businesses. I am also working on getting a sponsorship from companies outside of the motorcycling industry, because as John Bickle said, the bike shops are already tapped out. In this economy, with motorcycle ownership so low these days (compared to 1970-1995), bike shops don't have the profits to spend on sponsoring racers that they used to. The simple fact that not one factory rider in this whole country recieves a salaried ride speaks volumes on this point.
We hope to have an great racing season ahead, and are working on a few exciting new things to help raise awareness for our cause.
For the 2013 season, we are "Squids For Kids", racing to help less fortunate children in our own communities!
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A desire to quit drinking is the first step.
Jia
Well-known member
This is the mindset that won't get you a sponsor, because racers always feel a company must give first before a racer giving back.
In this economy and sport, a racer needs to give (for free) and not demand, build rapport through generosity and dialogue (and maybe results), then maybe, just maybe you'll get a worth while sponsorship and you'll quickly realize this whole sticker-discount mind set was ridiculous in the first place. IMHO
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If you put a sticker on your bike and got nothing to do so,,,,,,you devalue the efforts of the people that did help you. Same with a podium speach or press release, If you thank someone becasue they gave you a deal on something,, you serioulsy disrespect the person that "GAVE" you product or money. AND,, if you thank forty-two companies and people on the podium you again nullify the efforts of those that really did help you.
Yes it's nice to hear your name and being thanked on the podium,,but if your girl friend paid for your entry,,,, then thank her,,, and not at the end of the forty-two companies that gave you stickers!
Thank the people that got you there,,that's usually a short list! Thank me after! I'd respect that more.
Yes it's nice to hear your name and being thanked on the podium,,but if your girl friend paid for your entry,,,, then thank her,,, and not at the end of the forty-two companies that gave you stickers!
Thank the people that got you there,,that's usually a short list! Thank me after! I'd respect that more.
Jia
Well-known member
True, you devlaue the efforts of the people/companies that did help you, that is, only if you have someone helping you to begin with. If we competitive racers go by such a strict rule, then everyone should be ripping the bike make stickers off their bikes since they do squat for anyone. Yet, there are more than just a few racers that choose to leave/put the Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki/Suzuki etc. stickers on their bikes when they race.
Anyway, I'm not advocating making your bike look like a race replica with stickers. The bike I rode this season was almost a blank canvas, only having stickers of the shop name that it belonged to, and the tire contingency requirements. I do think this is right, but I also think there may be people that race for various reasons. Some race purely for fun and want to look good while doing it. They may just want to look back on it and say that was cool, and show their friends and grand kids. If these folk want to sticker up their bikes, I really don't think they should receive flak for it. And unless we know everyone personally, then who are we to judge.
Racefan2012
Active member
Well that was harsh However it was very accurate. lol I believe you would know as well as anyone what it takes to make it in this sport. I agree stop draining the folks hat have built the business. Go out and find outside sponsors. Not only does looking outside the sport for sponsors bring in fresh blood but it also brings in fresh spectators We need to create a fan base. Thus growing the events to a much larger crowd. Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. So good luck
That's a totally different situation.They would not be looking for sponsorship nor be trying to save money. The reality here is if you wish to have fun and spend a few bucks,,,then do so and enjoy it. If you wish to get sponsors and reduce your overhead and be competative on someone elses dime ,,then you need to respect that. As well if you have to run stickers becasue the rules or contingency says so then so be it, you have to.
I am in no way saying you can"t or should not run stickers. Just saying if you recieve help from any company then "You" have changed the rules.You should respect the effort that person/company has given you.
But if you are having fun and expect nothing and run stickers that look cool and stickers of people you like,,,then go nuts and have fun. But things change IMO,, as soon as you accept product or money or help.
does anyone have a good link to the "How to get sponsorship?" thread posted by Kneedragger88 a few years back? The link in this thread seems to be dead. I'm no computer guy, so can someone find it and copy/paste it into this thread?
Haha I cant believe that article is still going I wrote that 9 years ago. Still good info though.
rmemedic
Well-known member
Most important thing, is being a likeable person. While not being a kiss ***.
I'm moderately quick, I'll never be pro. If I become a fairly competitive intermediate in MX I would consider myself lucky. However, I have people that help me out. No free rides, but I almost never pay retail for parts, fuel, fluids, gear, for bikes or for the odd times I need my bike worked on by a pro.
I am very lucky to have networked the way I have, but that happened without intention. I help anyone out that I can, fixing bikes in a rush at the track for people that can't or didn't bring tools. Lend out use of my power washer at the end of a muddy day, invite people to the pit for beers or dinner, or patch people up since they know what I do for a living... I have a pretty good medical bag in the truck.
I help with the race organizers (took a few years of being a regular to get to know them enough) and doing social events outside of the race track environment. Found my way on to some TV time last summer that got exposure, and if it hadn't been for being injured most of this season I would have had some more this year.
This has put me in to contact with owners of dealerships, managers/owners/mechanics/riders of pro race teams, owner of one of the biggest magazine publishers for the sport and the like. Not because I'm fast (I'm not slow either), but because I'm a well spoken, responsible, clean imaged guy. My gear and bike are always clean, my pit area is always organized and I approach people. Basically I put forward as professional of an image as I can. I have a "race team" name called "White Trash Racing" that is actually catching on. I now have 4 friends running it on their bikes. And while the name might not be totally clean cut, it is out there enough that it gets remembered and shows that I can be organized, serious but still able to have fun while doing it. And that gives people the idea that I'm an outgoing person... Plus it's in huge letters on the trailer that gets A LOT of people smiling, laughing or honking as they pass me on the 401... The odd person looks at me like WTF but hey, it shows that it does get noticed. And so does all the decals of sponsors on the trailer.
Don't be shy, but don't be overly pushy... Just get yourself noticed.
I'm pretty sure that if I managed to qualify for Loretta's (biggest race for amateurs in the world of MX) I would have enough support that I wouldn't be paying for much, and would likely have a few friends from the track come along to help me out.
I read kneedragger's post, and while I haven't gone nearly as far as him in getting sponsors, (I've only e-mailed one company that is outside of the industry because I have a product I use at the track that gets a lot of attention, and figured I'm already getting their product noticed so I may as well see if I can get anything back) you can see that we both have very similar advice, and have a similar idea of how to go about it.
I like the idea of contacting the local radio station, but all the races are a few hours out of the broadcast area, and any station that is in broadcast range of the tracks would be too far for me to be able to attend events on short notice or week nights.
I'm moderately quick, I'll never be pro. If I become a fairly competitive intermediate in MX I would consider myself lucky. However, I have people that help me out. No free rides, but I almost never pay retail for parts, fuel, fluids, gear, for bikes or for the odd times I need my bike worked on by a pro.
I am very lucky to have networked the way I have, but that happened without intention. I help anyone out that I can, fixing bikes in a rush at the track for people that can't or didn't bring tools. Lend out use of my power washer at the end of a muddy day, invite people to the pit for beers or dinner, or patch people up since they know what I do for a living... I have a pretty good medical bag in the truck.
I help with the race organizers (took a few years of being a regular to get to know them enough) and doing social events outside of the race track environment. Found my way on to some TV time last summer that got exposure, and if it hadn't been for being injured most of this season I would have had some more this year.
This has put me in to contact with owners of dealerships, managers/owners/mechanics/riders of pro race teams, owner of one of the biggest magazine publishers for the sport and the like. Not because I'm fast (I'm not slow either), but because I'm a well spoken, responsible, clean imaged guy. My gear and bike are always clean, my pit area is always organized and I approach people. Basically I put forward as professional of an image as I can. I have a "race team" name called "White Trash Racing" that is actually catching on. I now have 4 friends running it on their bikes. And while the name might not be totally clean cut, it is out there enough that it gets remembered and shows that I can be organized, serious but still able to have fun while doing it. And that gives people the idea that I'm an outgoing person... Plus it's in huge letters on the trailer that gets A LOT of people smiling, laughing or honking as they pass me on the 401... The odd person looks at me like WTF but hey, it shows that it does get noticed. And so does all the decals of sponsors on the trailer.
Don't be shy, but don't be overly pushy... Just get yourself noticed.
I'm pretty sure that if I managed to qualify for Loretta's (biggest race for amateurs in the world of MX) I would have enough support that I wouldn't be paying for much, and would likely have a few friends from the track come along to help me out.
I read kneedragger's post, and while I haven't gone nearly as far as him in getting sponsors, (I've only e-mailed one company that is outside of the industry because I have a product I use at the track that gets a lot of attention, and figured I'm already getting their product noticed so I may as well see if I can get anything back) you can see that we both have very similar advice, and have a similar idea of how to go about it.
I like the idea of contacting the local radio station, but all the races are a few hours out of the broadcast area, and any station that is in broadcast range of the tracks would be too far for me to be able to attend events on short notice or week nights.
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