June 2010

How to get sponsored in Racing?

In Motorsports, sponsorship and advertising is a multi-billion dollar business.  Sponsorship is a very important aspect of racing that few know how to tackle. Without it there will be few that will be willing or able to fork out their own funding to continue racing.  So the question that many drivers tend to ask is

“How can I get sponsored in racing?”

To answer that question you must put yourself in the shoes of a potential sponsor and think about what their objectives are. Of course, this varies from company to company but here are some objectives that most sponsors will be thinking about:

-       Reaching out to potential customers

-       Give them a reason why you should be sponsored and not some other driver or sport

-       Making valuable contacts through the sponsorship to help the sponsors and yourself
Now the first step is to think about how as a driver you will be able to meet the objectives of these potential sponsors. When you’re able to think about the options you can offer as a driver then sponsorship will start coming your way or at the very least look more achievable.

We aim to tackle the issue of sponsorship with an in depth guide of what you can do to secure sponsorship for yourself.

Learn how to Go-Kart

Go-Karting is a fun sport that is very addictive. Out of the various categories that motorsports is split into, most don’t come close to the intensity of karting. Travelling at 100 kph just inches off the ground is an experience that will leave you coming back for more. Learn how to go-kart this summer and give yourself or kids a taster of being a racing driver.

Introduction to Kart Racing program

Cost: 650 USD
*Regular dates available in July and August*

Location: Oxnard, California

If you’ve ever wanted to see what it takes to get into kart racing, this course is for you! We will introduce you to karting on a more personalized basis. You’ll learn all of the fundamentals from proper seat and hand position, to throttle and braking techniques, and line theory.

This is a full day introductory course in karting, aimed at those who have never experienced a go-kart before.

Things to do this summer – Summer Speeds and Thrills

Cracking your head about what to do this summer? Instead of lazing around, get off that couch and learn or do something exciting. There is tons of stuff to do, so make this summer an exciting one with Global Racing Schools.

Watch a Formula 1 race

Formula One is the pinnacle of racing. That is why each year, millions of fans travel around the world to watch one of the most exciting sports in the world. Hear the engines screaming at 19,000 rpms as the Formula cars whizz past you at mind numbing speeds in excess of 200 kph. Watch on as the drivers fight to control their cars around corners and overtake each other in the quest for the podium. That’s not all, with our hospitality program, delve into the nightlife of F1 parties and who knows, you might just get to meet one of the drivers partying away with you. Be part of the excitement this summer with our exclusive Formula One travel and hospitality packages.

Improve your driving skills in a Performance Driving Course

High Performance Driving Course

Price: USD 1200 ( Lunch provided)

Location: Angleton, Texas

Just got your driving license? Want to be a better driver? Always wondered how the pro’s do it? Wonder no more. Global Racing Schools presents a performance driving course that is bound to blow your socks off and at the same time, make you a better and safer driver than your friends or colleagues. Come back from this summer break with confidence that you are a better driver.

You will get to learn:

• Understanding vehicle dynamics & behavior
• experience slides & recoveries
• Track Orientation and Analysis
• learn at the limit
• experience lane-toss exercises & accident avoidance
• compare handling characteristics of different premium sports cars
• lead-follow on the race track
• Instructor Ride-Along

Watch a Formula 1 Race

Formula One is the pinnacle of racing. That is why each year, millions of fans travel around the world to watch one of the most exciting sports in the world. Hear the engines screaming at 19,000 rpms as the Formula cars whizz past you at mind numbing speeds in excess of 200 kph.

Watch on as the drivers fight to control their cars around corners and overtake each other in the quest for the podium. That’s not all, with our hospitality program, delve into the nightlife of F1 parties and who knows, you might just get to meet one of the drivers partying away with you. Be part of the excitement this summer with our exclusive Formula One travel and hospitality packages.

Interview with Jeroen Bleekemolen – Porsche Supercup Champion

Question: Jeroen within the last few years, you have managed to win the Porsche Super Cup as well as the 24 hr Le Mans in 2008. At this stage of your career, what do you do to continue improving and motivating yourself?

I just love racing cars, so it’s not hard to get motivation. Every time I step into a car I love it. Hopefully I will be in a position to win the big races like Le Mans overall and work with big manufacturers. That is my aim at the moment. Also I could imagine having a career in the US, after joining the American Le Man Series for this year.

Question: We know that as proficient you are in a Touring car, you’re just as proficient in a Formula car as you’ve also driven for A1 Team Netherlands before. But in your opinion, how does a driver know what route is better for them? GT Cars or Formula Single Seaters?

That’s hard to say. Most of the time you need to bring money to the team in Formula racing. So if you don’t have big sponsors it’s better to focus on GT racing, because there, it is easier to make money. That’s what I did. But when you have a lot of funds behind you and you believe you can make it then maybe it is worth to get your hands into Formula cars. I think a good driver can be quick in both, so that doesn’t matter. If you’re experienced and quick in both types of cars, then the versatility of your skill can get you paid.

Racing Fitness

Being a racing driver is not easy. When you think about racing, most people automatically imagine a glamorous sport where drivers are fuelled by adrenaline. Images of wheel to wheel racing, courageous overtaking and spectacular crashes come to mind. However, what most people do not realize is that these drivers have to put up with intense physical demands that even an athlete would not face. Let us take a look at what happens behind the scenes, and how drivers prepare themselves physically.

Imagine driving the fastest cars on earth, imagine the strain this puts on your body. Fitter than football players and leaner than athletes: racing car drivers possess the most finely tuned bodies on earth. Medical studies consent. During a race a driver must remain calm, focused and in constant communication with the technical team whilst perfectly manoeuvring a highly complex vehicle around and unfamiliar track alongside competitors, travelling at speeds up to 300 kilometres/hour.

Formula Aerodynamics

Racing cars used to be about big, fat, slick rubber tires and engine grease. In the last couple of decades, Formula 1 has become all about aerodynamics.

Although wings have been clamped onto Formula 1 cars since the late 1960s, today their development has become a science, the main tool of which is the wind tunnel. All teams now either own or rent wind tunnels, and some teams staff them 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

Principles of Car Aerodynamics

Unlike airplanes wings, which give lift, racing car wings point in the opposite direction to provide downforce. As its name implies, downforce presses the car to the track. This provides extra grip, particularly in cornering.

The Wind Tunnel Craze

To develop the car aerodynamics, teams spend an average of about $50 million to build a wind tunnel at their factory. It is one piece of equipment that separates the big budget teams at the front of the grid from the small budget teams at the back of the grid. As with airplane wind tunnels, a car wind tunnel is a massive tube joined at each end and with fans producing airflow. From an operating room beside the tunnel, a team’s aerodynamics engineers monitor a model of the Formula 1 car and study the computer signals that define the way it reacts. Rather than moving the model – most are half the size of the real car, but some use full-scale models – the wind moves over the car wings as if the car were traveling at a given speed.