Sponsorship is the real fuel of motorsport, and it has been an integral part of Peter Cate's quest to reach the top of the sport. Fortunately, professional motor racing has much to offer the sponsor. There is immense value in these events in comparison with alternative forms of promotion:
"Since our company logos appeared on Peter's car at the Nurburgring 24 hour race, we have been impressed with the increased hit-rate on the i-TRAK website, particularly foreign inquiries, which was the fundamental aim of our sponsorship involvement. The value of our investment is unquestionable." - Stephen Rush, Director, i-TRAK
Here
follows a brief description of some of the benefits of
sponsorship:
Each racing championship offers the sponsor a different balance of benefits, depending on the media profile of the racing, the locations of the circuits, the drivers involved etc.
The most immediate and obvious attraction for sponsors (especially for consumer product companies) is the opportunity to gain massive TV and print media coverage, plus high-profile public exposure of product or service brands through the placement of decals on the race cars, driver overalls, team clothing and the team race transporter, all of which travel the length and breadth of the country through the racing season.
As an example, throughout the season (typically March to October), each of the round of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is televised across the UK in prime one-hour Saturday afternoon slots on all major regions of ITV's network. Of the ten 2002 events, seven of these were broadcast directly after the F1 Grand Prix qualifying sessions, and all events were broadcast the weekend following each event, between 1:30 and 3:00pm. Average viewing audience of these terrestrial programs was over 1.3 million people.
In addition, subsequent satellite TV broadcasts on programs such as Sky's Men & Motors promote the championship and its sponsors to millions of viewers worldwide. The 2005 24hr race at Silverstone is estimated to reach 125 million viewers globally in this way.
The official championship websites provide up to date information on the championship, the drivers and teams, competitions, interviews etc. In 2001 the official BTCC website received over 21 million hits.
Typically the race team's website is equally well maintained, providing fans with up to date information on race results and other developments and offering sponsors an additional medium for product promotion.
Each race event is attended by tens of thousands of fans. In the BTCC, over 40,000 attended the Brands Hatch BTCC event in May 2003. The long distance can attract even greater numbers, the Nurburgring 24hrs typically attended by over 150,000 fans. The vast majority fall within the ABC1 socio-economic profile (78% male, main age group 25-40, typical salary £20-50K/a). In addition to providing an ideal target for a successful marketing and communications campaign, this offers the secondary opportunity to create promotional items such as posters, clothing or videos, all bearing the image of the sponsor's logo or brands, which can be distributed at the race events or other venues.
Competitions to win a day at the races, as guests of the sponsor have also been very successful as a promotional tool, a highlight of the competition winner's day being the chance to meet Peter for a pre-race chat!
In addition, Peter and his car can also be made available for off-track appearances and talks, for example at industry exhibitions or openings, as an eye-catching and memorable part of the day.
Hospitality opportunities are a crucial part of effective sponsorship packages, especially for business-to-business companies. Both the BTCC and GT / Long Distance events offer first-class facilities to cater for our sponsors' guests. As an example, professional hospitality companies provide a luxury marquee with exclusive track-side viewing area, sit-down lunch, waitress service, complementary bar, and live entertainment including driver interviews.
Peter Cate and his team are always on hand (race schedule permitting!) to provide that extra element to a sponsor's day.
"I
want to make sure my sponsors have the chance to get close up to
the racing
and a personalised tour of the car and pit garage are one way I
can do that".
Where possible, Peter is always happy to take interested guests on a track walk during the evening prior to race day; his lurid descriptions of the racing line and impossible overtaking moves at different points around the circuit is a unique experience for the racing enthusiast!
It is also possible to arrange Track Days, at a UK race circuit of choice, where sponsors and guests may drive and be driven, learning first hand the secrets of high-speed lapping and car control from Peter and other professional drivers in a variety of performance machinery. This is especially valuable if run in conjunction with a business event, for which a suite or alternative facility may be arranged by the track
"Track Days are always a big hit with sponsor's guests: the day is theirs but their time is yours..."
If you would like to know more about the opportunities available to you as a sponsor of Peter Cate, please contact us at info@petercate.com. You may also like to read about the various CHAMPIONSHIPS in which Peter has the opportunity to compete, each of which has a different range of benefits to the sponsor.
"I
have been extremely fortunate to be supported in my racing career
by the following companies.
Please take some time to read about their services and to visit
their web sites."
Dow Automotive is a global materials and systems supplier focused on the automotive industry. Dow Automotive is prepared to meet your needs wherever you are, with a global infrastructure and production / sales location around the world.
As a strategically-minded solutions-oriented partner, Dow Automotive is able to provide a unique combination of materials science, design, engineering and processing expertise. From concept through vehicle production, start to finish, Dow Automotive works to add value at every step and deliver a solution which best meets the requirements of its customers.
Visit their website at www.dow.com/automotive.
i-TRAK is an active luggage tracking system operated by Ilutra Systems Ltd. i-TRAK is designed by experts in luggage tracing, and has a number of features which make it uniquely effective.
Almost 20 million pieces of luggage are mislaid by the world's airlines alone every year. Many of these are NEVER found. And this doesn't include luggage lost on trains, ships, buses, taxis, hotels and elsewhere. Until now travellers had to rely on travel or transport operators to find missing luggage. But now, by fitting an i-TRAK tag to each bag, wherever the bag is found and in whichever part of the world, i-TRAK systems are designed to locate the missing luggage quickly.
Visit their website at www.i-trak.com.
Intier is a newly created global automotive systems group that brings together the product capabilities and systems expertise of Magna's interior, seating and closure systems divisions. The new group is at the forefront of the industry trend toward the supply of complete interior modules - part of the overall industry evolution toward larger, more complex and more highly integrated vehicle systems.
Going forward, Intier will focus on providing OEM customers with the development and sequencing of complete vehicle interiors that integrate modular doors, cockpits, overhead systems, and complete seat systems into one package.
Visit their website at www.intier.com.
On the lower slopes of the pine-covered Murcian hills, looking out over the crystal waters of the Mar-Menor and the Mediterranean beyond, a luxurious playground has been created in 1400 acres of lush, rolling countryside. There, at La Manga Club, an area the size of Monaco features three championship golf courses, one of Europe's finest tennis centres, and many other excellent sporting and recreational facilities.
At the very heart of the resort lies the stunning Hyatt Regency La Manga Hotel, whilst many luxuriously appointed villas and apartments cluster in small, dazzling 'villages' on its green hillsides.
Visit their website at www.lamanga.com.
or e-mail at info@lamanga.com
Since 1970 Barwell Leisure has provided a comprehensive range of travel and leisure services for its discerning customers, exclusively to La Manga Club (see below) and Murcia in southern Spain. They are the world's leading operator to this beautiful region, with their own offices and full-time staff in La Manga itself. Barwell Leisure also operate travel and leisure services to the Hotel Montecastillo, set in the Andalucian countryside region of Jerez.
Visit their website at www.barwell.co.uk.
or e-mail at mailto:info@barwell.co.uk
Traxdata is the market leader in CD-R/CD-RW media, with its brand now established as the largest volume seller in Europe. In a period of less than six years Traxdata has grown into an internationally recognised and respected digital optical company. Technological innovation and commitment to long-term relationships with respected business partners place Traxdata as the complete solution provider for digital optical storage.
Visit their website at www.traxdata.com.
ADIC offers a broad range of products designed to enhance organisations' ability to store, protect, manage and use their rapidly growing network data. With an installed base of more than 60,000 automated libraries, innovative storage management software, fibre channel SAN solutions and NAS appliances, ADIC is a leading device-independent storage solutions provider to the open systems marketplace.
Visit their website at www.adic.com.
SmartDisk designs, develops, manufactures and markets digital connectivity products and personal storage systems designed to simplify the transfer and storage of digital photographs, video, music, voice and data among digital appliances, personal computers and the Internet. The Datawise brand is a range of 'plug and play' PC peripheral products, encompassing digital card readers, storage products, biometric security products and intelligent cables.
Visit their website at www.smartdisk.co.uk.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers is the leading European computer company and offers one of the world's most complete product & solution portfolios. Its world-leading technology & innovative IT products span the entire range of personal computing & enterprise computing needs. With extensive manufacturing facilities in Germany and more than 7,000 employees, the company operates in 25 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Visit their website at www.fujitsu-siemens.co.uk.
One of the most innovative and fastest emerging names in the leisure and sports sunglasses industry. Their first collection was launched in 1989, born from an obsessive desire for affordable quality sunglasses. From the outset their aim was to change the world's perception of performance eyewear and to dispel the notion that perfection only comes at a high price. In 1998 they launched 15 new innovative designs, including eyewear for skiing that has become especially popular on the slopes of all Europe's top resorts.
