I was talking to a PR firm in London about sponsorship as a technique rather than sponsoring me.
Their reply was that on a national scale karting had two big drawbacks:
1) It doesn't have the profile. Even an obsucre single seat class has a higher profile than karting. (this was before Hamilton)
2) An event at, say, Brands Hatch has a far higher enjoyment / hospitality quotient than a similar event at any karting site. There are clean toilets, somewhere to sit down, something to eat and even something to drink. Most kart tracks are grotty and it is often karters who make them grotty, sometimes deliberately. (Yes, look at the way the toilets and washing facilities are often fouled and dirty. Would you want to take a client there or leave your own bathroom like that?)
However karting does have a big advantage over other forms of motor racing and that is its youngster appeal. You can persuade someone (who isn't paying the bills) that this is something they can do. So, if you make your pit look professional, you do have the option of inviting visitors to see what their dollar is buying along with their children.
Ultimately, the big attraction is to get your target out on the track, and it is here that ARKS shot karting in the foot. Unless you have an enlightened management, too many tracks won't let anyone out on track on a pre-race day unless they have the licence etc and a non-race day makes your tent look very lonely, small and sad in an otherwise empty pit.
It is all about appearances and sponsor benefit, not what you want from them. Can they use you for advertising, can they get something 'special' from you, will you be a credit to their firm and ultimately will it bring them new customers.
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