Ever wondered how you can get sponsored?
Here is what has worked for me and a few close friends in the past:
I dont know if there is a said way to get sponsored but I've been at it for 8 years and have had three cars sponsored and about 12 sponsors overall.
First of forget about that "being in the right place at the right time" thats rubish! a sponsorship is a legal contract (or agreement I guess but there are contracts to be signed in between) between you and a manufacturer where both parties benefit through show advertisement.
to get a sponsorship first get your car in the right running condition, if its stock make sure your engine bay is spotless, clean body, clean paint job ect... no one will sponsor a slob.
second: add a few mods, forget that crap about RICE! if you want to get sponsors then forget about performance tunning, you have to invest some buck into cosmetics, "all show and no go" but hey if you want a sponsor its all about eye candy, a sponsor honestly does not care what your 1/4 time is (there are performance specific sponsors, more on that later.)
Third: ok so now you got some show right, maybe not a show worthy car but you got a dvd player? racing seats? custom interior? you gotta have something unique to set your car apart from the others of your make and model out there. example look at our 3000GT, almost all look the same, even the ones with body kits all share one out of three different body kits, this is no good cause a sponsor wants to see something new that they have never seen on your car before! go crazy think of it like a job interview, show em something thats new to them.
fourth:
have a clear plan, I would not want to invest money into someone who has no clue exactly what he wants! my last sponsor gave me 12,000 bucks and said "we need a list of the items you will buy with this money, please include the brand, item number and cost after tax and you must use all 12,000, anything above that will come out of your pocket. be as acurate as possible as this will be loged into your account"
my advise is to make a list of what the ultimate tunner car would have if you where to build it out of your ride.
Fifth:
Here it is chief, the big secret to sponsorships! WEB SURFING. go online to every single company website that offers aftermarket stuff, on thier front page they all have a "apply for sponsorship" link, well 95% of them have the link the other 5% you have to call or e-mail and they will send you an application. fill the application in full and include all the pics they require. they will ask you what shows you have attended and what shows you plan to attend for the rest of the year. become familliar with the shows in your area, if you can attend a few and enter your car before applying then do it. include with the application the contact info to verify your appearance at past shows. a sponsor will choose your car based on 1.current condition, 2. capacity to mod (your plan of what you want to do with it) and most important of all 3. how often and how many shows you attend.
sixth:
dont get discouraged , apply to alot of sponsors as some will never call you back, the more you apply the more chance of getting picked up on.
laslty make sure you understand what a sponsorship is and what a sponsor wants. the sponsor will invest money into you and your ride because it really is the best form of advertisement. you promise to advertise and show off as much as humanly possible.
about performance sponsors: they are really hard to pick up on because they scout, so unless you already have a fast car or race for the SCCA often then you might get noticed or have a sponsored mate recomend you to the sponsor. still my secret is to keep an eye out for the small guys who are just starting out and wont be as picky as the big shots. my friend got sponsored by APC and got his accord fully decked out back in 99 when APC first established itself, when Sony first opened up thier X-plod line back around 97-98 they took on alot of jackasses with ugly ass rides just to get the word out. X-box was also a softy when they first came out.