Member Spotlight: Motorsport UK

Give us a brief overview of the Motorsport UK’s approach to sponsorship and partnerships

As the national governing body for four-wheeled motorsport, Motorsport UK has a broad portfolio of properties and assets open to commercial partners.

We are the rights holders of every British Motorsport Championship, some of which are promoted by independent third parties. We directly organise and promote the British Rally Championship, ROKiT F4 British Championship, British Superkart Championship and the Wera Tools British Kart Championships, as well as the UK’s round of the World Rally Championship and all sporting and volunteer elements of the British Grand Prix.

Away from competitions, we run FIA Girls on Track UK, a fantastic initiative aimed at inspiring girls and women to see and believe that there is a rightful and valuable place for them in the motorsports industry.

We also manage the Motorsport UK Academy, a performance pathway for talented young athletes that provides the UK’s future stars with opportunities to learn, develop, thrive, and ultimately unlock their full potential.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in our approach to sponsorship and partnership, and we recently appointed a new Head of Sustainability who is helping to guide our policies and work with industry stakeholders to ensure motorsport plays a leading role in developing solutions for the future of mobility.  

What approach makes your sponsorship offering unique?

Motorsport is diverse, inclusive and offers wide range of opportunities for youngsters, first timers and experienced hands.

Owning the rights to every British motorsport championship is incredibly valuable as it offers partners opportunities with every discipline and access to a vibrant and active community.

Motorsport UK is a not-for-profit organisation answerable to over 70,000 members comprising competition licence-holders, volunteer marshals and licensed officials. We also have 720 individual member clubs across the UK who organise over 5,000 permitted events each year.

These members are our bedrock and, our partnerships enable us to offer them unique opportunities and experiences. In tandem, our partners gain exposure to a huge community who ultimately want to engage with likeminded brands and companies.

We communicate with our members through a monthly digital magazine, Revolution, as well as email newsletters and surveys. We also run an extensive and highly targeted member benefits programme, which helps to reduce the price of competition and give members peace of mind.

How did your approach to connecting brand partners with your audiences change during Covid-19, and have any of the changes become embedded more permanently?

The Covid-19 pandemic was challenging for everyone, and in motorsport we had 100 days of complete lockdown. When we emerged, we introduced a raft of new procedures and support mechanisms for our clubs to ensure the sport continued to operate as safely as possible.

From a commercial perspective, we worked hard with our partners and drove a lot of activation through digital channels. We also embraced the world of Esports for the first time and introduced the first-ever Motorsport UK Esports Championship, the eBRC as well as the Motorsport UK Esports League. This gave us a chance to deliver rights to existing partners as well as opening up new commercial opportunities.

More recently we invested in state-of-the-art simulators and employed a new Esports Manager who is designing a comprehensive Esports programme that will grow our footprint in that community significantly.

And what predictions can you make about how it’s going to change in the next five years?

Sport at large faces challenges in terms of active participation and involvement, as well as ensuring a sustainable future. Motorsport is no different, but we are embracing these challenges.

We are working hard with the industry to provide an eclectic future. Motorsport has always been an incubator for new technologies and innovation, and we are confident that we can play a key role in developing and showcasing these new technologies which includes sustainable fuels, electrification, hydrogen power, hybrid technology and efficient forms of propulsion.

We are also challenging the status quo through our work in equality, diversity and inclusivity. We recently established an EDI Committee and held our first Racial Diversity conference at the end of 2021, the first of its kind in motorsport. The work of this committee will be critical in opening up our sport to the entire population and ensuring that motorsport is a safe and fun environment that is accessible to all.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Motorsport is far more than 20 Formula One cars racing in exotic locations around the world. In the UK we have a thriving community of passionate and friendly members, many of whom compete for £20-40 in their standard road car in car parks and hired land each weekend.

I would encourage everyone to get in touch with Motorsport UK or speak to their local motor club about how to get involved and enjoy a great day out.