This article will help you have a better understanding of the different types of sponsorships out there as well as how to get them. The most important thing to remember while working with a sponsor is to always be positive as possible about the product you are representing. Ideally you want to be able to believe in every product you have but there will be sometimes when you may question a product. To the public you need to represent the products your are working with. However, you also need to be honest with your sponsor to make sure that their product is of value (to be done behind closed doors out of the public image).
Now that that is out of the way, let’s carry on with the types of sponsorships that are available out there.
- Partial Sponsorship: These are sponsorships that will allow for discounted prices on items that you need. These will also be the type of sponsorships that have little or no recognition for advertising space on your car or racing suit.
- Half Sponsorship: These are nice to have because this is where you get product for free. However, you may be in an agreement where at the end of a season you return the product so the sponsor can analyze the product for future development and evolving the product. This isn’t always the case. The purpose here is mostly for the advertising at events that you participate in.
- Full Sponsorship: This is where you get product for free and you get additional benefits such as being paid, getting funds to get into events and getting help with any other event costs like shipping. These sponsors will have the loudest form of advertising and take up the most space on a car or racing suit. Full Sponsorships will also most likely entail a contract of some sort and may require a lawyer on your part to look over all the details.
Now on to how to obtain a sponsorship. Unless you are talented enough to where companies are contacting you to represent their product, you are more than likely going to have to do some footwork yourself. The key important piece here is that you will have to sell your talents. You will need to think about this process in reverse to make this work for you and for them. The final answer and the first thing to think about is, “How is this going to benefit you [the sponsor] and why you should consider me to represent your product?” You will need to come up with a list of things that you will be doing in the benefit of the sponsor. Consider this partial list when looking at sponsors:
- list of events you’ll be attending
- list of past performances relative to the area sponsorship interests
- How the sponsor will be represented/advertised
- Give updates on recent events and prepare a full season review in a professional portfolio as a gift
- List the ways you plan to promote the product(s) outside events
The list can go on but these are some of the more important and common things. Work with your sponsor to come up with a plan and ideas on how to make it worth their time and effort for your sponsorship. Remember that you will need to do a majority of the footwork though because they are also trying to run a business and would rather not waste the time and energy on something that they will have some initial costs. Also be loyal to your sponsor. There is nothing worse for your reputation than taking another competitive sponsor after having spent so much time with your current sponsor.
Communication is key with any relationship and in the end will be beneficial to the overall objective. I hope that this will help you with the start of some ideas on how to get sponsorships and help you establish a relationship that could last for many, many seasons.
Over the last several years, countless people have contacted me for advice on how to modify their car. They tell me what they want to do their car but somewhere along the way, there is a place where I stop them and tell them to re-think about what they are trying to do.
Remember that everything is relative to the owner, you. What your friend’s interest or better yet, what your local car shop’s interests are not the same as yours. Don’t get caught up on what products people are selling as the best and you “need this part”. Although friends and shops are a great place to gather information and they are useful. Do your homework and remember that you want to build a car to your liking.
There is a great modifying/tuning cliche out there that goes something like this: “High Performance, Low Price, Very Reliable… pick any two.” This is important in remembering your overall objective and for setting realistic budgets for your project. Also be aware that forums usually have group-buys. Meaning that the more people that commit to buying the product the cheaper the price. Take advantage of great sales and don’t be afraid to use auctioning sites, just be aware of the drawbacks too and calculate if they are too risky for you.
Before participating in the modification of your car, I recommend that you join a car club of some sort in the area of your interest (see below for the categories). This will help you decide on the types of parts that will work for you and the parts that could get you disqualified if done incorrectly.
The following is an ever evolving list of things to consider when modifying your car. More often than not, I hear from people that they bought a part for their car only to find out that later that part is not compatible with other parts they are wanting to have in future installs. I hope that this will be an easy guideline of what to think about when modifying your car and the processes involved.
1. What to do?
When all is said and done what do you ultimately want to do with the car. Whatever you decide to do though, it is essential that you pay attention to laws in your area and if you’re planning to race the car be sure to get the rule book(s) so you know what you can and can not modify. For a general idea this is how I break it down:
- Street: Car setup is made for driving as a daily driver. You want more power, better handling and better looking car. The key thing to remember is that this car has to be drivable on the street and needs to be reliable. So you do not want a suspension setup that is too harsh for speed bumps or pot holes and you’ll need a little body roll for rain or snow setups. Common first upgrades to this are wheels, tires, rear sway-bars (most common in All-Wheel-Drive cars) and air intake.
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You’ll notice that I didn’t say exhaust system. The reason is because you will need to decide if you want to put a turbo or supercharger in the car, then you should be looking at a different type of exhaust system. Again, the key here is to not spend money in the same place twice. So don’t buy a 2.5″ cat-back system only to find out that you’ll need to replace it later with another one that will be compatible with the mods you’re making (example: 3″ Turbo-Back exhaust). The only exception to this is if you find sponsorships. Then, that’s a different ball game. I will cover that in an upcoming article on how to get sponsorships and the different types to look for.
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- Car Shows: If you plan to build a Show Car, then also be aware that you will have to consider not only the parts you want to put on the car but also the custom and fabrication work involved. Find out what the trends are and what they soon will be. Yesterday’s car mods won’t get you a win, you will have to plan to push the envelope to generate wins. Before entering a show though, first go to a show and find out the categories you’ll want to compete in. Sometimes you can compete in more than one category at the same time in the same show. Do your research on how you can prepare for a show.
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- Drag Racing: First find the category of drag racing you’ll want to compete in. Look at the rules carefully and build your car from there. Generally speaking you’ll want to look at lots of horsepower, making the car light weight and suspension become less important (I’m not saying that it’s not important though!). Eventually the will become less and less street-able.
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- Auto-Cross and/or Rally-Cross and/or Hill Climbing: Generally speaking, power is fun but not as essential as suspension and weight savings. Time and time again, I’ve seen less horsepower cars beat the pants of high horsepower cars. The key is the setup and adapting to the environment (weather, track conditions, course layout, etc.).
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- Drifting: A good power to weight ratio is recommended and stiff suspension make for ideal setup. However, learning your car into a drift will take practice. Ideally, you won’t want to have a turbo system with a lot of lag and a small power range.
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- Track Car: Most people drive their cars to the track but some people have to trailer their car to the track because there are emission issues that prevent them from driving on the street. Track days are usually put on by car clubs, so be sure to find out what is acceptable by them and be sure to find an instructor that has an idea of what your car can and can not do.
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- Full Racing Setup: If you ever plan to compete in full race setups such as Rally, Grand Touring, Endurance racing then be sure to look into those groups and find out from other racers on what worked for them and then apply that knowledge to your car. In most cases the will be a very expense project and you’ll already have some good contacts in the industry. If you haven’t got much input from other driver, manufacturers or team, then I recommend that you see if you can help service at an event. Doing so could save you a lot of time and effort.
In upcoming articles I can go a little deeper into a subject depending on your requests. Feel free to post your questions here and I’ll do my best to answer them for you. I also plan to do a write-up on sponsorships and how you can get them and maintain them.
I’m going to just come out and say it. Sports cars should not be convertibles! I have a fear of rolling over and when you’re put into a car that has crazy amounts of horsepower with the unpredictability of the real world, you wonder why anyone would by a spider to begin with. I guess there are exceptions to the rule though. Ha! you think, he’s a bigot! Contrary to belief though, my thoughts are with the Lamborghini, Pagani Zonda or even the Ferrari, and the likes where even though they are convertables they have a cabin that is still mostly closed in. If you take some of the older Ferrari cars (348 and 355), Mercedes Benz, BMW, Porsche, etc., their really is not behind the heat/seat protection and the A-Pillar really can not support the car when it’s upside-down. However, with the added financial burden and added risk, I find that I would feel much more comfortable in a coupe… especially upside-down or in a roll over. Granted that you should not be driving irresponsibly on public roads, but you never know when someone else may not be. Formula 1 cars, LeMans cars and the like all have cockpits that would protect a fighter pilot. I just don’t see that kind of protection in everyday road cars. Otherwise your average cars price would skyrocket to the likes of today’s exotics. Top Gear even said (the Ferrari F430 spider) would make you look like a dork with your bald spot showing, your old 70’s music and people would just see you. Not even women look good with “convertible hair”. So please reconsider buying a spider and go for the coupe. You will look cooler and you’ll be safer. Can you really put a price on safety anyway?
Very Cool:
Cool Ferrari F430
Not So Cool:
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Not So Cool
You Are A Dork:
You are a dork!
In my best Top Gear host narrative (you pick between the three of them): It’s just “BRILIANT”! I mean just look at it! Oh! I’ve gone and done it now, I’ve got to go change my underwear.
It's just Brilliant
As you hopefully are fully aware, I’m a huge Ferrari fan. I love the cars and I love the F1 team. However, with a car like this, the Aston Martin One-77, I think I’m about to convert. It’s curves have outdone the likes of former Victoria Secret model Giselle Bundchen. Ten seconds is all I would need with her, but with the new Aston Martin One-77, I’d only need about 3.5 seconds (0-60 mph time). The advantage is that at the end of those 3.5 seconds the One-77 won’t be disappointed and complain or bitch and moan about needing her personal space (I’m not saying that she would. I’m sure that Ms. Bundchen is a very nice woman…). Rumors from Autoblog are that this beast of a woman… (cough)… “car” will have around 700+ horsepowers (the “s” is there on perpose and the end of “horsepower” in my neverending attempt to get onto Top Gear) and will top out at over 200+ mph. And because of the monocoque tub made of carbon fiber, it’s light… around 3,300-lbs.
Oh honey, It’s time to put the horse back out in the barn and time to take the Aston Martin out for a spin.
Weapon-R has been in the industry for so many years now that I’ve run out of fingers. Since 1995 Weapon-R has been making intakes for the aftermarket automotive industry. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Weapon-R for the last eight years. I’ve tried and liked every one of their Subaru Impreza 2.5RS intakes. However this last installment takes the previous versions and blows them out of the water. The development team at Weapon-R have found a way to re-organize the airflow within the intake to make for a more uniform airflow rather than a disruptive one. This alone creates more power with less effort and also sounds really grunty. Attracting any rival on the racetrack.
I’ve tried many intakes over the years, mostly from Weapon-R. I’ve also tried some that friends have made or ones that have been given to me to try out. Bottom line is that I’ve always come back to the Weapon-R product. They make a product unlike most intakes but the part that really keeps me coming back is their customer service. They’ve often times “worked” with me rather than against me. They are very responsive in resolving problems and are quick to help out with what they can to get you back on the street/track. That alone is worth the price the intake.
I have since converted my Subaru Impreza 2.5RS to a turbo but during this conversion I was animate about keeping the Weapon-R intake… and I’m glad I did. Thank you Weapon-R for your years of service and I hope that it’s for many more years to come!
Product: Weapon-R Secret Weapon Intake for 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS Coupe
Cost: $219.00 (plus shipping)
Installation Rating: 9 / 10
Product Rating: 10 /10
Surgeline is the new wave tuning from Portland. Although they can do their tuning services nationwide, lately most of their customers are coming to them. Tackling everything from Subaru WRXs to the new Nissan GTR, there are a plethora of available maps for your car as well as the ability to incorporate your car. Click on the picture below to see if your car is available for tuning. Check them out and see the different ways that they can make your car more drivable.
More updates to follow as I gather more information on them. Great people, plus a great company is a great outcome for you!
You better believe it when I say that there are rules to washing your car. Chances are that you already know how to wash you car appropriately but you may know a guy or girl friend who is oblivious to these rules. Hopefully this will give you some insight on the Do’s and Don’t’s of washing your car.
- When planning to wash your car be sure that you don’t wash in the direct sunlight. The reason for this is so that the soapy water doesn’t dry on the car causing potential damage to the paint. Also while rinsing the car avoid direct sunlight because there are usually minerals in the water itself and will cause water-spots.
- Do NOT use a power washer. Although this is easier you could be “grinding” the grit and debris more into the clear-coat of the paint.
- Sorry spouses but if you’re washing the car and have any jewelry on, remove them… including wedding rings! Jewelry will cause unexpected scratches in the paint.
- If in the event you drop your towel, wash cloth, wash mitten, brush, etc. Do NOT use it again until you’ve thoroughly washed the dropped item. If it’s a washing mitten or brush, be sure it’s cleaned of all debris and dirt. If it’s a towel, then throw it in the dirty clothes bin and grab a new towel. If you use a dropped item you will put scratches in the paint from any debris. Microscopic particles will scratch the surface, even though the wash mitten or towel may appear to be clean.
- If you’re using any kind of chemicals to wash your wheels and tires, this is the first step. Otherwise rinse out your wheel wells and the main debris from your rims and tires.
- Be lucrative with your soap. I prefer to have more soap suds than not enough. This makes it easier to see where you’ve washed and where you missed. Think of washing the car in thirds and working from the top to the bottom.
- As you wash your vehicle be sure not to “swirl” your cloth but instead move in the motion of the airstream. So you will be washing the car in straight lines moving from front to back. Do this as much as possible. The reason for this is if you’ve got grit or debris the scratches in the clear-coat will be in line with the airflow and will be harder to see. Have you ever looked at a car and thought that there were spiderwebs in the paint? That’s because the owner didn’t wash in straight lines. Also be sure not to wash up and down whenever possible. Always make the effort to go front to back.
- Rinse between each third and rinse the complete car every time.
- Last is to wash the wheels and tires. If you used chemicals to clean your wheels and tires, then for the most part rinsing may all you need to do. However, most car guys that I know will take the extra time to wash the wheels. People that do a lot of car shows will also make the effort to remove the wheels from the car and clean the wheels in the rim side too. For everyday use though, this isn’t necessary.
- After you’ve finished washing the car immediately dry your car off with clean towels. This will help prevent water-spots and will also get places that you may have overlooked. Also during this drying time open up all the doors and dry out the door’s edges and the door jams. Then after the doors are done do the trunk lid and then the hood. This will keep the car looking new for much longer.
- If you feel that you need to wash out the engine compartment be sure to not spray water directly on the electrical components of the engine and also be sure that the engine is running. This way there’s positive pressure in the engine and the chances of water leaking in and settling on components is less likely.
- After you’ve toweled your car, do an inspection for any missed spots. Then your done… with the inside.
Hopefully this will help you enjoy washing your car and taking car of your car will not only make the car look good but will make you look good too (my cheesy tag line there… it’s dumb, I know).
