okay before we go any further....USGT is not a beginner/amateur class...I have no idea who put this in racers head....it never was and it never will be, and as a matter of fact neither is USVTA....they are racing classes...PERIOD!...no label needed....
novice amateur beginner can be any class your track wants it to be....but don't label a slower class, when both classes were started by very...hummm, THE FAST GUYS at the track. You can have a amateur class like 17.5 TC, which I raced at Snowbirds(TQ/Win) and it wasn't a dang thing slow about it...but you can also have Jr VTA like at Thunder and kids 16 and under can get in, and some very inexperience adults and parents.
so back to this sponsored stuff....Well speaking for myself, AE/Reedy nor Novak has ever hand selected me any product that average Joe couldn't get. So if I beat you, it had nothing to do with being sponsored.....and one more, if your pockets are deep, you can get whatever, whenever ,from whoever....now what do you do?