Defining a sponsorship...

[DrivenMind]

sponsorship is hard to get. I unfortunately think that it's more about who you know and not what you do to your car.

I'm sure there are exceptions...but you defiantely need to start working on your car before you get sponsors...they won't take a stock car unless you just know the right person.

Ah I should have mentioned this earlier. My car is not stock. I've kept it stock looking to try and avoid unwanted attention from local law enforcement and idiots on the street. This in particular is why I haven't got an aftermarket exhaust yet. I wanted the car to be quiet so I could go out and practice every night without people hearing it for miles around. I came to the conclusion that I would learn to drive it first while it's quiet, then when I'm completely confident in my abilities as a driver I won't mind the extra attention. Thus far it's paid off judging by what other drivers have told me.

I was talking with Tony (Tony Schultz - Formula D competitor) the other day and he was really encouraging me to get more parts on my car. He said it seemed like my car and the tires I use at drift events were a big hinderance on my driving performance.

My cars very lightly modified with some nice parts that you don't really notice until you drive it. I'm very selective about buying parts because I'm a bit tight on money.

I think if I actually managed to score a sponsor and if they were able to get me some decent parts I could be quite competitive. Until then I'll just keep sticking to practicing with what I have, as quietly as possible.

I'm working on my e-mail now... The only thing really nagging me, is that I don't enter my car in car shows and I know a lot of them really want that kind of advertising. Not saying I wouldn't enter my Corolla in a car show, but I mean look at it... It's very, very far from being pretty and nice to look at. Few people even notice that it's an AE86. I've had people ask me a variety of questions regarding the car ranging from "what is it?", "you drift this thing?" and I've even had a couple people ask me about my "flat black Accord".

[Sirius R]

My advice...email sucks. I've had tons of people looking for sponsorship through email...I ignore most of them.

Show me some effort, Mail it to me. Add a CD with pictures or video of your project. As Kat said, follow up. Most people stop after the inital contact. Be differant, be memorable, have fun.