TAD question....any input valued

Discussion in 'Pit Buzz' started by psd20, Oct 8, 2008.

  1. psd20

    psd20 New Member

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    Hey everyone,
    Looking to gather a little info. on TAD sponsorships. I am a licensed TAD driver and am in the final stages of securing 2009 sponsorship from a strong committed company. I have been around the sport a long time and I know that there a handful of teams that will hire a driver that has a full time backer and I have a few in mind that I would like to approach. What I don't know having never competed in this class before is how much it takes. I know I can get whatever it would take within reason obviously. So, for all you team owners out there or drivers who have traveled this route before...how much would I need to bring to the table to run a full divisional schedule and a full national event schedule with a team that could easily be top 2 in the division and top 15 nationally? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Also is there a significant difference in Blown TAD and Injected TAD budgets? Thank you.
     
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    Last edited: Oct 8, 2008
  2. Will Hanna

    Will Hanna We put the 'inside' in Top Alcohol
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    depends...

    that all depends on the owner and tuner how much a ride will cost. i'd say the average renta-ride deal goes for about 8500-10k a race. it's not hard at all to spend that much if you fly in most of the crew and pay any salary to the crew.

    as far as a/f vs blown cost, i can guarantee this will get 14 replies that a/f is so much cheaper, but i promise you it isn't. sure if you get an a/f car not hurting motors vs a blown car hurting motors, one's cheaper than the other, but the lowest common denominator isn't the combo, it's the tuner/tuneup. how good your tuner is and how much that tuner costs is a huge proponent of any team's budget.

    another thing is to do a little research on the team and make sure they are financially strong enough to uphold your end of the contract to the sponsor. negotiate worst case scenarios up front. what happens in the event of a crash? is that an assumed liability or does the driver have to underwrite the rebuild. what happens if something goes haywire in the tuneup and you blow up all the motors? does the owner have the buying power/credit to get back out there quick? those kind of things factor into the value of the team.

    also, winnings need to be discussed along with who gets sponsorship moneys from the car. by paying "X" per race, do you get all the sponsorship rights to the car, so the sponsorships offset your rental expense? If the owner has a lot of existing sponsors, or even a major sponsor, that limits how many sponsors you can sell to recoup your expense.

    expectations need to be discussed up front not only with the team but with the sponsor. you may have a $3500 a race sponsor, which is a solid associate deal, but for $3500 that sponsor needs to know you aren't going to ask how high when they say jump. sometimes a sponsor thinks they can tell you where you're going, do this display, host these guests, etc.

    while on the subject of guests, be sure to get eye to eye with the sponsor on
    entertaining guests/hospitality. while it's not that big of deal to entertain a few people, but when it becomes a group of people and you're basically catering to them, it can get expensive in a hurry. tickets alone is a big expense, and need to be covered by the sponsor in these situations.

    in a nutshell, it's going to cost you real low end $5k a race up to $20-$30k a race for the mega budget, full time team.
     
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  3. psd20

    psd20 New Member

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    Thanks for the input Will. I appreciate it. Definately gave me a better perspective on things and was in the ballpark of what I was thinking. Keep the replies coming guys.
     
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  4. blownracer/a-fuel

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    Will is pretty close. As he said you need to talk to some of the people that rent and tune their cars. When looking at a team to go with i would narrow my search and go to a few races to see how everybody works together. Nothing worse than being married to a deal and not being able to enjoy the situation.
     
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  5. Impatience Racing

    Impatience Racing New Member

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    Hi psd 20....I would agree with all....chemistry is major key to the success of a team...communication is very important...would be interesting in talking to you...we run two blown alcohol dragsters...never hurts to talk..thanks Steve Federlin 503-703-7360
     
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  6. psd20

    psd20 New Member

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    Hey Steve,
    Check you PM's
     
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