One of the things that continually surprises me when looking through rider applications on HookIt is the number of riders that have conflicting sponsors listed in their profile.
Part of my job at Bel-Ray is to monitor and accept HookIt profiles for support. Far too often I’ll look at a profile to see if they are a good candidate for our support program and see the rider already has an oil contract. They’ll even go so far to include in the comments how great our oil is and that it’s the only thing they ever use. Then I scroll through their current sponsored deals and find 1 or 2 other oil companies. Are they the best too?
These are the same riders sponsored by 3 different graphics companies, 2 goggle brands and a host of other conflicting sponsors.
Sponsorships should not be treated like a checklist or a race to see who can get the most. You should seek to align yourself with brands that you use and admire, provide value to them if they accept you and grow that relationship, helping them sell their product or service along the way.
Look at a rider like Barry Carsten. The vet racer has been supported by Bromley’s Suzuki, MSR (now Answer, same parent company), Arai helmets, Scott goggles, Dunlop, Sunstar, Wiseco and Decal MX as long as I can remember. Barry provides value back to these companies in exchange for their support.
Sponsorships and the value you provide is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Keep that in mind when searching for the next deal or discount.
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