Beyond the immediate benefits that members enjoy, funds raised through membership are utilized for the betterment of the sport. Below are our three specific initiatives that we support and how we support them.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE SPORT
Surveys conducted on behalf of various motor sports governing bodies indicate that the highest concentration of race fans is between 44-55, followed by 24-44, 18-24 and then 55 plus. Race fans are aging, and the growth of a newer, younger fan base is not keeping up. The urgency to not only attract a younger demographic, but turn them into long-time fans and in some cases participants is something that can no longer be ignored.
Here are just a few ways RFN will be working to address these issues:
- UNOH Partnership - The University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) features a complete degree program with a focus on High Performance Motorsports. RFN works with UNOH to bring awareness to the program and to bring scholarships to qualified students through fund raising, activation, and partnership efforts.
- Youth Fan Clubs - RFN is developing a youth based fan club model that will be made available to track promoters and owners. The program will be one that will be a turn-key opportunity for tracks to market to younger potential fans with a series of tools provided by RFN.
- Driver Appearances - RFN works with teams and drivers nationally to organize special appearances at schools, churches, and youth clubs. These appearances are typically presented to organizations in relative proximity to existing race tracks with upcoming events with the goal of introducing our sport to youth that may not already be exposed to motorsports.
LOCAL TRACKS
Promoting a race track can be a challenge and keeping them financially viable is even tougher. Attracting new fans, keeping facilities updated and modern, finding and fulfilling sponsorship... it’s a never ending task. Successful promoters not only find a way to promote their tracks, but the drivers who compete on a weekly basis to attract new fans. This can be difficult, especially if you’re trying to reach a potential fan base that has never seen the sport or has a preconceived idea of what the events and facilities are like. To assist promoters in their efforts RFN works to help in the following areas:
- Infrastructure Improvement - RFN works with various financing and grant programs to help track owners expand or upgrade facilities. To gain access to these funds RFN works with tracks to build business and marketing plans, develop projected financials, and complete applications for funding.
- Sponsorship and Inventory Assistance - RFN assists tracks in developing a comprehensive list of available assets available at their venue including the values of each. With this list we help compile a group of turn-key programs and packages that promoters can present to potential sponsors. Having a well thought out program model is very important when searching for sponsors and advertisers. The key to success is to know what you have, know what it’s worth, and know how to put it all together!
- Youth Fan Clubs and Driver Appearances - See descriptions above.
CORPORATE AWARENESS
There are more than 80,000 drivers that race on the grassroots level before nearly 1.3 million fans every weekend from February through November. That represents 52 million tickets a year. More than NASCAR, NBA, NFL and NHL combined! Grassroots racing is every where... literally! Today there are over 800 local tracks operating in the lower 48 states, covering almost 90 percent of the country.
Unlike NASCAR, or any other professional league or series, grassroots racing has no real central entity that represents the whole of the sport. Hundreds of different track owners, hundreds of different series, and so on... RFN works to bring awareness and promotional opportunities to the sport in the following ways:
- Value Added Member Benefits Program - We show measurable returns for corporate partners through the RFN membership coupon/discount program. When you support RFN corporate partners, you’re showing them that you truly do “support those that support the sport”. What better evidence is there for companies considering opportunities in grassroots racing than their own measurable ROI.
- Packaged Assets/Inventory: Utilizing the asset/inventory packages developed for tracks we are able to provide turn-key regional and national programs to our corporate partners wishing to further activate their involvement with RFN or other sponsorships.
