Girl Racers: Racing 101 Start Your Engines

— by Nika Rolczewski
Republished with permission from Racerchicks.com

Sponsorship - the dreaded “S” word. If you want your team to be professional and competitive it’s a necessity.

This question comes up often. Do I know any sponsors, and how do you get one? The answers are easy, I know many sponsors, but you have to work at it. After exhausting friends and family and not to mention your own savings - it’s time to find funding.

A sponsor is any company, person, or product that is willing to fund your racing effort. Chances are if you look around you right now you will see products and/or services that already are motorsports contributors. Who to approach? Here I must change the question to who should you NOT approach - the list is smaller. The companies you should not approach are the ones you do not believe in. For example, if you are a vegetarian, do not approach a beef company for money. Being a spokesperson for your sponsor must be done in good conscience, your fans deserve this.

Product versus monetary sponsorship: Not all sponsorship is based on the almighty dollar. In a non-spec series you should approach any company whose product you use - from tires, shocks, fuel, you name it! The money you can save by having these products supplied to you, can pay off big over the season.