When competing in autocross, can you really get sponsored by a company? I've read about some autocross drivers and how they had sponsorships by different companies, and I'm wondering how hard it would be to get a sponsor.

 

Sure you can get sponsorship from companies, but it's not likely, at least not in the sense you are probably thinking of. Very few people have significant sponsorship deals. The majority of those are people who have their own business and "sponsor" themselves as a tax writeoff, or sponsors are businesses that these people have had a longstanding customer relationship with and the business provides discounts or services in return for someone putting their name on their car. The chances of you contacting a business out of the blue and getting a check are very very slim.

Much more common at the upper levels of autocross competition are contingency programs, where companies offer cash or products to qualifying finishers in a class. For example, I race on Hoosier tires and have the required decals on my car. If I win at a National Tour event I win 2 tires, and whoever wins at Nationals (not me) will get 4 tires. Similar programs are offered by other tire companies, several automakers, and a few parts manufacturers. When these programs were at their peak several years ago, I heard of some of the elite drivers making as much as about $20,000, but that was very rare and they probably spent that much travelling the country to compete for that money.

Tom

 

I'd like to get some kind of small sponsorship, I think it'd be cool, where I'd get a small discount on some tires or something like that. I'm not asking for a new car or anything.

 

This is something I've been thinking about doing for a while. Hopefully no IRS people are reading this, but I've been thinking of starting my own small business just for the sake of sponsoring myself as a tax write off. A co-worker said here in Wisconsin it's just a $20 registration fee. I understand that you must show a profit after 5 years but it wouldn't be too bad writing off everything under the sun for that time and then folding up the "business". The problem is I'm just too d@mn ignorant with taxes and what not. I can't go to an accountant with that angle. Can anyone lead me to some good literature, maybe "Small business tax write-offs for dummies"?

 

that's a good idea! My dad owns his own business, he cleans pools. I could slap on one of his huge magnetic advertising car door things, and go autocrossing, lol.

 

I don't see any problem with that.