Sponsorship: Should I, shouldn't I

[Ruby]

I've always been someone who believes in owning my bikes 100%. I've been offered sponsorship before in the form of advertising down the side of my turboed drag bike. But I turned the offer down because at the time it was only a hobby and something I did to prove it could be done. Building a 9 second drag bike on a $5K budget, of course I was never looking for funds to assist.

However, I've now been offered some funds to get me more competitive in B grade racing here in SA. Now, as much as I'd like to jump on a more modern 2007 GSXR600 race prep bike (belive me, I really would), the sponsorship is not that big! I don't want to mention dollars, and my decision should be based on principle not money. The problem if I say yes is that a sponsor not only owns a portion of your bike (or the bike entirely), but they also own part of you. "Sorry, bit of a mechanical gremlin, can't sort it and can't race" ... "Tough luck, we own you, ride around the problem and go and race!". This is just one scenario I have witnessed.

I am considering just keeping my pride and owning everything 100%, even if that means I'm still on low-budget kit. Still, I'm running B grader times on a 5 year old bike and low budget equipment. LOL I've also considered selling the TLR and GSXR race bike, walking into Peter Stevens and buying a spankers new 2007 GSXR600 and kitting it out for racing (when I'm not riding it on the street). One problem ... I like my TLR too much.

So, do I sell my sole to the devil and get financial support for racing (and get a % of me owned), or tough it out on my own and show the "gold card" boys that low budget racers can still clip their heals?

LOL

 

[tubes380]

personally i think it would have to come down to what your own motives are.
are you motivated enough to do this as more than just a hobby and eventually go pro and not have a dayjob to support yourself or are you doing it to just have fun on the weekends and as a hobby.
if you are just in it for the fun then i would say no to the sponsership as it would take the fun out of racing.
but if you want to progress in the sport and get serious about it then i would take the sponsership however it would depend on what they are offering and who they are.
so it really would come down to your personal motives and what they are offering. hope this helps out your decision.

 

[Ruby]

My thinking exactly. I thought I was too old to even look at semi-pro (B grade and maybe A grade), but there are guys in their 30s to 40s out there in B grade comps. Mind you they own all their equipment, hence their age to get it all together.

I'm seriously leaning towards standing firm and going it on my own. I started off doing it for fun 3 years ago, but its human nature to get competitive and I'm cutting lap times with the better end of the field now ... on a 5 year old bike. I'm thinking of keeping it 50:50 and just aim to have fun at the end of the day. On my own steam I can still race all season and place in the top 10. I might see about picking up a newer 600 (2004/2005 model) and move up from the current GSXR I have.

I've been an athlete in another sport in the past. I was good enough to rank 3 times on the Aussie team and grab a few medals in international competition. I found it fun, but that fun soon vanished. Being at a high level of competition makes you become obligated to perform well and do things you don't want to. I hate obligation and I don't want to taint my love for biking and racing ...

I'd love a crack at a podium finish with the help of a new machine and endless tyre and suspension suport. However, my motives are to do it on my own ... 100% and have fun doing it. So I guess I know what to do now. Privateer all the way!

 

[benox]

Hmm, I would probably take the sponshorship, if your a full time racer. If not, get a job at maccas and buy some more racing shit for your bike and own them all.

 

[pitbulls]

why not move to different class.125 proddies, nakeds etc..u know whats out there. surely a competitive 125-250-vfr400etc, would be cheaper option then s'sports? what about motard? my 2 cents.

 

[Ruby]

Hmm, I would probably take the sponshorship, if your a full time racer. If not, get a job at maccas and buy some more racing shit for your bike and own them all.

I don't know what Maccas you've ever worked at, but I don't think flipping burgers at Maccas wil get you racing.

And I wouldn't be turning in a $50K a year salary to work for chicken feed. LOL

why not move to different class.125 proddies, nakeds etc..u know whats out there. surely a competitive 125-250-vfr400etc, would be cheaper option then s'sports? what about motard? my 2 cents.

FYI: I raced an Aprilia RS250 last year and its just not competitive now that the MA opened up the class to 400cc bikes. Building a 250cc 2 stroke to be competitive enough means high cost parts and short engine life. The 400cc bikes were dirt cheap to buy and race, now they're friggin expensive because of the change in the Regulations. Motorcycling Australia are changing the rules all the time. Right now, being a superstock/supersport rider is a far better class than racing in the limited class anyway.

It really isn't as simple as "take the money and do this class or do that class".

 

[pitbulls]

soz didnt know bout 250s-400s racin together.Vfr-vrf400s used to be cheap as chips(nearly bought 1 meself). comes down to economics vs common sense. cant pay electricaty bills then dont go racin LOL.(personally i think id live in a tent for the chance to race tarmac(raced mx 19yrs ago but oldies paid 4 that). what about friends/family business's helpin out?best of luck

 

[IAMPETEY]

thats life for ya

 

[mr_sikma]

sponsorship would be good! especially if you have a big say on the deal!

where do you race in adelaide? wouldnt mind coming to watch sometime!

 

[Ruby]

I race at Mallala, for what its worth. Race number 94, keep an eye out for the fool running too hot into turns. LOL There's a race coming up on 8th July, but I'm yet to hear back from the race organisers about a second class I want to compete in, and I've not yet done a wet race, so I don't know if I want to risk it with the tyres I have. However, I'm definately racing in Round 3 of the Champs in November later this year.

Rumours are going around that when Les (the owner) sells up, SA Car Club will buy it and sounds like they're not supporting bikes using the track. Fuggin disrespectful. Cafe Racers should be getting in and putting terms on the condition of sale. I've also got a mate in the SA Car Club, so I'll ask him how true the rumours are. A mate of mine is also partially related to Les, so I'll see if he can whisper something in our favour. There are also rumours a new track is being planned for close to Adelaide.

On the up side, I picked up a shit load of spare body parts last night. Full set of race fairings (much better quality) in black, crash knobs, tank, race rubber etc. Cost me $200 for stuff that could have fetched over $1K. One of the advantages of having a 5 year old bike, when the rest of the field are upgrading. They all have parts they don't need anymore. LOL

 

[mr_sikma]

nice work...

yeah i am more of a car man myself and i have noticed that alot more car events are being held at la la than bikes now. the drifting is always on there, and alot of track days are being held.

should share it i reckon!

 

[Hillz]

sponsors are for sellouts.... LOL narr if you have the cash why get sponsors?? if not they will help out

 

[pegleg]

I recon do it! even for 12 months and see how it goes. After that if your not happy, give them the flick.
Depending of course if they are willing to do a 12 month contract.
Nothing worse than thinking 5 years from now, "I wonder how things would of went if I". Or "I had a chance but".
Thats just my opinion, IF it was me I would go for it, that way no regrets...

 

[Ruby]

nice work...

yeah i am more of a car man myself and i have noticed that alot more car events are being held at la la than bikes now. the drifting is always on there, and alot of track days are being held.

should share it i reckon!

Those drifters shit me. They come in all the time for a night time practice after a bike track day, and I hear some of the dumbass teenagers commenting on how slow bikes are and their Silvia is faster, blah blah, everytime. Me and a few mates went over there and sorted them out one time. Asked them what their best time is. "I can do like 1m40s". Our comment was: "Okay, now add 5 seconds because you're bullshitting anyway. You're still 30 full seconds off our pace, so STFU" LOL

I told them to try going around turn 4 at over 230kph hanging off the car with your knee down and elbow just inches off the deck. They're reply was "fuck that". Harden the fuck up or STFU. LOL

sponsors are for sellouts.... LOL narr if you have the cash why get sponsors?? if not they will help out

I've got a race budget, which is more than enough to keep me going, but its nice to dream of newer machinery! LOL In any case, I'm happy with the bike and where I'm at, so I've declined the offer.

 

[Ruby]

I recon do it! even for 12 months and see how it goes. After that if your not happy, give them the flick.
Depending of course if they are willing to do a 12 month contract.
Nothing worse than thinking 5 years from now, "I wonder how things would of went if I". Or "I had a chance but".
Thats just my opinion, IF it was me I would go for it, that way no regrets...

I've thought long and hard about that, really I have. But at the end of the day, I never had much regrets about anything. I've always had the gift of being able to "walk away". Its all me 100% or nothing. A newer bike and equipment would be great, but I can get that in my own time. Plus I'm doing more than okay on my 2002 model.

 

[mech_eng_matty]

Hey Ruby,

Its a real predicament you find yourself in. There are so many different factors that can affect your decision.

I've been at a high level of sport myself and i completely understand how it can get to a point where you no longer enjoy it, thats the time when you have to say fuck it and get away from it for a while.

The only thing i could possibly think of is to perhaps look towards a non-motorcycle-industry related sponser who is not going to care quite so much about your performance. Anywhere that does engineering work or machining or anything that can be in a small way associated with any form of motorsport might be able to assist you with some $$ sponsorship. Instead of them giving you a complete bike, they might be able to throw some money at you to assist you in getting a newer bike, maybe not a brand spanker, but a 2y/o machine would be more competative than what you've already got i'd assume?...

As for selling what you've already got, i'd definately get rid of the Gixxer if you were going to look towards something newer but definately keep the TLR. It's my opinion that you need a dedicated track bike if your gonna race and having a half half machine would kind of defeat the purpose.

I've had a bit to do with sponsers through my work on the Uni racing car and the one thing they love is staying in the loop. Inviting them to track days, paying for their entry and stuff like that will go a long way to them enjoying their sponsorship experience. If they see their name on a bike that is running up front they can then come spend time with you in the pits and introduce themselves to other riders who might be looking to get their products/services on their machines.

Anyway, you've no doubt had a lot more experience than me in the racing world so this might all be completely faulse but if i was in your situation that'd be the approach i'd be taking.

Good luck with it all mate

 

[Ruby]

Hey Matty, YOu're totally right about the amount of things you need to consider. I've been thinking about it long and hard.

Just to set the record straight though. I wasn't offered another machine. The only way I can do that is to lease a machine for $7,500 per year. But you get the latest bike with all the suspension and brake goodies, and in 2008 they swap it for a 2008 model. The down side is; you break it, you fix it. No, what I got offered was more than enough to take care of the ongoing costs and put some pennies aside for a new ride.

What I am considering doing in the next 2 years is to sit a full season on the GSXR and get my inventory for spares up; then I'll equip the TLR with race gear (it's already putting out 127rwhp - 117rwhp standard) and sell the GSXR for a nice sum, complete with all spares, tyres, race glass etc; and look at purchasing a 2007/2008 CBR1000RR and racing that in the following season, and it'll do me for the next 3-4 years for national competition.

With the TLR I could run it in Brackets, Superbike and the V-twin classes. Its already got a Brembo brake package, beefy engine, and enough race mods to put it (I hope) mid grid up against the latest Ducs. Plus I know that bike like the back of my hand. Funny, considering it is now an 8 year old bike.

So you can see, I've thought long and hard and come up with an interim plan for my racing future.

 

[mso_elite_rider]

I have been with the drifters on nights after the bikes have finished loved watching the bikes go around though. That sucks if the rumor is true about some sa car club buying lala and not allowing bikes but i think bikes are as big apart of lala as what cars are so the bikes should have a chance since there is no other place to go in SA. Theres also court fights going on about sale of A.I.R too. But hope u choose whats right for you and have fun racing at lala would be very exciting maby we should get pit bikes out there lol

 

[Ruby]

Ha. It would be funny to see pitbikes out there, but I think even Mallala would be too big. You could only get in 5 lap sessions with the throttle pinned the entire time. Me thinks there would be a few cooked engines otherwise. lol