Branding for Young Racers: Sponsors Are Watching Before You Know It

Most young racers think their personal brand starts when they get their first real sponsor. The brands see it differently. Their scouts are at the amateur races, they're scrolling the feeds, and they're listening to what people in the pits say about a kid and a family. By the time a teenager sends a first proposal, the brand may already have an opinion. Here's what the marketing people at my Sponsorship Summits say they notice in young racers, and what a young racer and their parents can do about it.

Scouts watch what happens after the checkered flag

Heath Cofran of Alpinestars, who works in media and company communications, asked the company's athlete managers how they find young riders and shared their answers at the Off-Road Sponsorship Summit. The first step is obvious: "You go to the races where the young kids are racing." If a kid keeps winning, "he pays attention. He might meet the family."

What the scout watches next has little to do with lap times. "What does he do when he gets off the track? What does his pits look like? Does he have a real professional setup?" Cofran said. "Is he really focused, is he together? Is he dressed out and like freaking out grabbing his stuff, or is he like in control?"

The reason is that the brand is looking for a mindset it can build around for years. "A championship athlete at a young age acts differently than a normal kid," he said, pointing to riders like Jett Lawrence whose families were all in from the start. ▶ Watch Heath Cofran explain this

Your reputation is the label on your name

Results get a young rider noticed, Cofran said, "but it's also not just that. A lot of it comes down to your personal brand, like if someone's talking about you, word of mouth." He described the conversation a brand wants to overhear: "What's the talk about Chad? Oh dude, he's such a great kid and he works really hard, his family's great supporting him. Like, what does the label of that rider say?"

Once Alpinestars does start helping an amateur, even with a pair of boots, the next test is attitude. "Is it giving us an opportunity to help support, or is it, hey, I just want free stuff?" he said. The team also researches a young rider's social media, website and YouTube, because "this person is representing your brand. Do you want this person representing your brand?" What wins them over is "showing appreciation, being respectful," and sending updates with photos the brand can actually use. ▶ Watch Heath Cofran on amateur riders

Act like the pro you want to become

Josh Shorter, brand manager at THOR, told the Motocross Sponsorship Summit that his expectations scale with the level of the rider, but the direction is the same for everyone. "It's that whole projection, right? Hey, I'm gonna be this someday," he said. "Well, if you're a little Johnny and you're coming up and you want to build toward that goal one day, start with professionalism at the top level." At the top, he said, "what we look for is professionalism with a strong consumer face and presence." ▶ Watch Josh Shorter on this

In other words, a ten-year-old doesn't need a pro budget. But they can practice the pro habits: being on time, keeping their gear and pit tidy, talking to fans and thanking the people who help them.

Manners are a branding strategy

Max Lee, moto athlete manager at Troy Lee Designs, sees hundreds of resumes come through the company's online sponsorship program. What stands out is often something that happened in person. "Honestly, a simple handshake and a three-minute conversation at an event," he said on the Motocross Sponsorship Summit's media panel, can do more than another email, and it's something brands rarely see anymore because everyone communicates through their phones.

Some of the kids who make the best impression aren't even asking for anything. "I have kids that come up and thank me that I don't even sponsor, thank me for the helmet, the gear looks great," Lee said. "I noticed that stuff a lot. And when that resume or email does come in and I say, hey, I remember that kid, I like him. I appreciate him taking the time out of his day to approach me and give thanks. That's a kid I wanna help out."

Persistence counts, too. "I might tell you no the first couple years, but year four or five comes around and I'm like, wow, this kid has been coming up to me the past couple years, he really wants to be a part of this program." ▶ Watch Max Lee explain this

Show the real story, not a highlight reel

Young racers often feel they have to look like winners online. Bill Tichenor, corporate director of marketing at Holley, told the Motorsports Sponsorship Summit that's the wrong instinct. "My suggestion for super young racers is, I think fans now, and younger kids that follow racers and influencers, they just want to follow a real story. Just be real, show them the ups and the downs. They don't expect you to win. In fact, they don't want you to win all the time," he said. "Don't paint yourself like always a champion."

He pointed to Cleetus McFarland, whom Holley first worked with "when he was like a nobody," and who "organically incorporated his stuff, our stuff, into what he does." The formula Tichenor wants young racers to copy: "Show the good, show the bad. Hey, I lost because we did this stupid thing. Yeah, but we learned from it." Fans who feel connected to a racer are the ones who act on it, and when that racer says they use Holley parts, Tichenor said, "that's important to us." ▶ Watch Bill Tichenor on young racers

Don't try to be who you think they want

Dystany Spurlock has been in racing for more than a decade and works with brands like Northern Tool. When I asked for her best branding advice at the Motorcycle Racing Sponsorship Summit, she went back to her own start. "When I first started coming into racing, I was so focused on trying to be what I thought the people wanted me to be," she said. "Because I was young, I was 17. But then as I got older, I'm like, you know what? If I'm myself and they like me, then that's great."

She doesn't mean ignoring polish. "Don't try to downplay yourself, or of course you have to be polished and all that good stuff, but at the end of the day, be true to yourself, because you can never go wrong with that." ▶ Watch Dystany Spurlock on this

The takeaway

• Keep the pit calm and tidy and the gear ready before the race. Scouts watch how a young racer handles the minutes off the track.
• Teach the handshake and the thank-you. Have your racer introduce themselves to brand reps and thank the ones whose products they use, sponsored or not.
• Guard the "label." What other families and racers say about your kid, and about you as parents, reaches the brands.
• Post the real season, including the mistakes and what you learned, not just the trophies.
• Let your racer's personality come through. Polish the presentation, but don't invent a character.