Sponsorship
 

I just wanted to know what kinds of sponsorships are out there and what do they intail. I know there are full ride sponsorships, but I want to know about partial sponsorships. Please share the info.

My understanding is a lot of them are discounted and/or free product from the sponsors. For example a tire sponsor may give you tires at a discount in general and maybe at big races they will give you an assortment for free. In return they get to use your name and you must promote the products. Im not sponsored but that is my understanding at what a lot of them are. Im sure the better you are the more free product you get.

Just remember that sponsorship can also hurt too. If you run in the Tamiya TCS series, you cannot be sponsored or let it be known that you are :weird:

That's only for full time paid employs of RC factory teams like Barry Baker, ect.
Keith Yu of Canada won the GT2 nats and he is the North American Much More Racing distributor, I'm sure he is sponsored, and well deserving of it too!
Does sponsoring yourself count?

I sponsored my son for 3 Tamiya nats, of course he beat me, maybe I can can get him DQ'd. :lol: :lol:
Fred

Kinda contradicting: From the Tamiya TCS Rules

Driver Eligibility
?Factory Team? drivers (drivers who are, or have ever been, employed or supported by a factory, manufacture or distributor as part of a factory racing team) are not allowed to compete for prizes or awards.

Addendum:
"Factory Team" drivers (drivers who are, or have ever been, employed or supported by a factory, manufacture or distributor as part of a factory racing team, this includes sponsorship that entails monthly salary and paid airfare/ accommodations to racing events) are not allowed to compete for prizes or awards.

If the host site deems it necessary, they may also bar these types of drivers from participating. This will depend whether the host site believes that sponsored drivers may take away the spirit of the event being for the average hobbyist. It is further at the discretion of the host site to determine which racers fall under these criteria. Tamiya America can not possibly know every individuals claims of being a sponsored or factory driver and therefore needs the judgment and discretion of the host site to weed out the factory sponsored driver that does not meet the average hobbyist criteria.

Host sites must be careful not to confuse racers that get a deal from their friends that are employed or work for so and so ?motors R us? or a fly by night battery matcher as being sponsored. There will always be racers who will try and get a deal of some kind. This can not be avoided and therefore we ask for a balance as much as possible.

We ask that the hardcore factory sponsored driver not participate. An example of a racer that Tamiya America would not allow to compete would be the Jimmy Jacobson?s and David Jun?s of the RC industry. These types of drivers are clearly supported by a factory and would not be eligible to compete as Tamiya America supports their racing careers in all the above mentioned points.

Racers that have won the ?GRAND? prize, (a.k.a. TCS National title) ARE eligible to participate in regular season TCS races. They are also eligible to win the first place trophy, however they are not eligible to win prizes that are associated with first place.

All former TCS national title winners that won the trip to Japan are eligible to participate at the TCS North American Finals under the ?Past Champions? grudge match class. National title winners that did not win a trip to Japan are eligible to compete again at the Nationals in a trip winning class.

That's been hashed over a lot on the Tamiya Racing thread, and has been pretty much left alone. Jaun Avyta (sp?) has been sponsored by both Xray and Corrally and still is able to race in the series and nats.

there are alot of guys who are sponsored who race tcs..

Wasabi,
Work hard, be consistant, and most important: start winning races, then send your resume to local motor builders, hobbie shops and then to the manufacturers.
Best of luck to you.

From a guy who's been there!

Hey Bitter, Korey says you have that Popey chuckle down real good. :lol: :lol:

Cool...thanks a lot for all of your input.

There are a lot of 50% and 75% sponsorships out here. Not all sponsorships are full 100% rides like the factory guys.

Dont forget to have a good positive attitutde and always help others. I would rather sponsor someone that can make the A that has a good attitude and helps people out than a guy that is a for sure win and is an azz

This was posted on a UK forum a couple of years ago, but I'm sure the same still applies, and in the US.

Skiddins

I feel compelled to post these comments after a number of things I have read both in this and other forums and received via email or post.

During most weeks I receive quite a number of applications in one form or another from people asking for sponsorship. Unfortunately, most if not of all of these are so poorly thought out, prepared and presented, that they don't get past the first viewing!

I also feel very disappointed at the attitudes that seems to be present in a lot of these "applications", the most disturbing ones being this feeling that "I deserve it" or "as I already use your product I think you should sponsor me"! And these come from both the up and coming club driver and also more experienced drivers that really should know a lot better. I will tell you now that prima donnas, proven or otherwise, are just not welcome, in any sport/activity, at least not by potential sponsors.

I get the distinct impression that most people seem to think that this is just a route for a "cheap" supply of parts etc, well it most definitely is not and if that is what you think then do not bother even applying! Being sponsored is a very important relationship between the driver and the sponsor no matter what the level or activity.

I will quickly add that this is NOT an open invitation to anyone to apply for sponsorship, it is simply a quick guide to what you should consider even before making one.

So, what is sponsorship.......
It is an informal relationship between a supplier and a driver that will be beneficial to both parties, and this is true no matter what the sport or activity! Ultimately drivers like to win races, and if this happens sponsors will always like to see their products used by winners, but winning is not the be all and end all of the relationship, something I think many "applicants" really do need to consider. Being a winner does not guarantee being sponsored, likewise not being a winner will not work against you either!

If you want your application to be read, let alone taken seriously you need to consider the following:

Does the person you are approaching actually know you, if not you are going to have to tell them as much as possible about yourself and your background.

Can you commit, do you really have the time and will to dedicate to the sport, most "team" drivers do a lot more racing than your average club guy.
It takes time to build a working relationship, sponsors like to do this over time, if you think this means one season or series you are badly mistaken. The best drivers and sponsor relationships are the long term ones that last for years.....regularly changing your allegiance is not good for your credibility!

Do you know the potential sponsors business, products and people, do some research, show some genuine interest and knowledge about them. Just remember the sponsor is taking a gamble on you. Can you convey this and your background in such a way that the reader of your application will be interested in following it up.

What can you do in return for the sponsor in return for their support.
Are you presentable, realistic and reliable, not just in your racing but also your attitude. Do you carry any personal baggage, if so let them know up front, do not try to hide it as it will eventually come out and will weaken your credibility.

Remember that as a sponsored driver, you are in essence a representative of the sponsor 24/7, whether you like it or not, and all sponsors would be looking for the absolute highest standards of presentation and especially how you conduct yourself both on and importantly off the track, even in public forums such as this. If this is too high a price then don't waste yours or their time applying.

There really are not that many fully sponsored true "team Drivers", ones who get everything for "nothing", but there are lots who are "supported" at one level or another which is a different issue. Look at the profile and the number of supported drivers of a sponsor, do you really fit in.

You will be surprised at the number emails/post etc I get that are just simply not good enough and frankly not worth reading. Just remember unless you have been specifically asked to make an application, your approach will be unsolicited, and as such the recipient does not have to respond or even acknowledge it, courtesy would say that I normally would try to, but being so busy this is just not always possible, and when you get the number of emails I do that just say something like:
"Hi, I regularly win the XX final at my local club and think I could do better if you would sponsor me............let me know."

I think you not only get the idea, but also know exactly what will happen to this email. So next time you send one off, unsolicited, put yourself in the recipients position, would YOU have given it a second thought yourself as it was presented?

Remember this is a business to the sponsor and they cannot afford to be totally altruistic, be realistic in exactly what sponsorship is about - increasing the awareness and hopefully sales of a product/brand, nothing more, nothing less, anyone who says otherwise is just kidding both you and themselves.

Having read some of the posts made in here, and in other forums, by people who wish or claim to be team drivers, all I can say is that they are either deluding themselves a lot of the time or they are not going to retain that status for much longer.

At any meeting I go to, I am always looking at drivers, at all levels. I watch them both on and off the track, I follow their progress not only during a meeting but also a series.........I am approachable, but I do not discuss business or sponsorship with a stranger at a meeting. Introduce yourself by all means and see what develops, but do not expect anything to result from just one single approach.

I hope that helps and has not put you off too much...............

That's an awesome post!

I've been racing for about 16 years now. In all that time, I've only had 1 sponsor. And that was my local hobby shop. It took several years to convince them that I was a good fit for them, and for them to find a place for me. I ended up having to bring a small supply of parts to the local race track to sell for them, and I had to help with inventory and other special requests on occassion. This allowed the sponsorship to benefit both of us. And in reality was more of an employee discount without having to work a ton of hours for them. Unfortunately, this hoby shop is closing, so I'll be flying solo for the first time in many years.

I have pursued a couple of other sponsorships over the years. But never really found a good fit. Most of these were due to knowing current team members and getting a recommendation. I always felt that if I were to be sponsored, I would NEED to attend more regional and national level races. All these additional entry fees and travel expenses would quickly cost me way more than I saved in free or discounted merchandise.

To tell you the truth, I think I've had a lot more fun in racing by NOT being sponsored by anything other than my local shop.

Whatever you do, just remember to HAVE FUN RACING!