Marketing yourself in racing; Become the 'Opportunity' Part I

by: Adam Ross

Opportunity is knocking somewhere. If you’re listening for it you’re on the wrong side of the door.
By nature most people want opportunity to knock. Who doesn’t? But if you put in the effort to make yourself and your racing endeavour the appealing entity it should be then you can become the opportunity for somebody and their business or organization.
I plan to write a series of blogs to share my experiences in the racing business. In many regions of North America motorsports at the grassroots level struggles to get the attention it deserves. In some areas racing is featured at nearly every level of the media. People aren’t that different across our land. If we put in reasonable effort to promote ourselves and our sport we can make a difference. We can each help the industry succeed, and in turn we help ourselves.
You’re likely familiar with the expression ‘opportunity doesn’t knock twice’. The truth is opportunity rarely knocks even once.
Racers and promoters often tell the same story when talking about sponsorship and advertising. They’ll work hard to promote their sponsors with websites, press releases, newsletters, car appearances, new professional car designs and the list goes on. In most cases they never get the chance because they’re never given the opportunity.
Step one towards improving your overall racing experience is to change your mindset. Rather than wait for opportunity to appear you need to become that opportunity. We all know people who are successful in racing - whether a driver or a track promoter or even someone operating a racing business. Why does one succeed while others struggle? While there’s no single answer to all of racing’s challenges there are recurring themes.
From here forward I’ll refer to the racer, promoter, or racing business person as the ‘Opportunity’. If we stop waiting for someone to recognize us for the greatness that we are and start to position ourselves the way we want to be, we then can become the Opportunity.
About Adam Ross
I plan to write blogs to include my experiences and some of the things we teach through RACE 101. To give some background I have been involved in motorsports my entire life. My parents met at a speedway, and I’ve had the racing bug as long as I can remember.
After a brief racing career consisting of kart racing and open wheel modifieds I turned my attention to motorsports public relations, writing, announcing, broadcasting, and marketing. My educational background is public relations, but like many in the motorsports industry I’ve received much of my education on the job.
I co-founded the motorsports educational program RACE 101 (an acronym for Research, Analyze, Consult, Educate, 1 on 1), and I instruct in the program with Tony Blanchard and AnnaMarie Strawhand. I’ve announced the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series since its inception in 2007, and I’m proud to also work as a play-by-play voice on many of its television broadcasts. I am co-owner of an online magazine Dirt Track Digest where I provide editorial content and race coverage, and I’m a proud partner of Motorsports Consultant Services.
If you have any questions or comments, please direct them to adamrossenterprises@gmail.com. For more information on any of the items I discuss please visit www.race101.net, www.dirttrackdigest.com, or www.motorsportsconsultantservices.com.