Real Professional Racing Teams?

[dwk]

Just out of curiosity I was wondering if there are any teams in the junior formulae (F-Renault,F3, F3000) that attempt to run themselves as real professional racing teams or if almost all of the teams are simply rent-a-ride deals. By this I mean are there any teams that make an effort to actually go out and seek sponsorship for the themselves so that they can then find the best driver, or do they all just depend on what the drivers can bring them?

I realize that the cost of racing in these formulas is way out of line with the exposure received so sponsorship may be a very tough sell for a team but I know that in the NASCAR Busch and Truck developmental series that teams find their own sponsors (although these series do have a lot to offer). I also realize that some teams are aligned as junior efforts of bigger teams and can get sponsorship that way.

[Mackmot]

I dont think its fair to say that professionalism is down to whether they can afford to pay our drivers, that just means that the driver is proffessional not the team. Most teams from Formula Ford upwards are professional because it is their main source of income. We make our money for charging drivers for a service. Advertising and sponsorship are secondary and allow us to charge drivers less, simply making us more in demand.

And by the way any team that has a rich boss paying for drives are not professional, how can a professional company get away with running at a loss.

[av8rirl]

Most of the F3 and F3000 teams have technical partners and other sponsors. Generally the drivers bring their own personal sponsors too and depending on how much money the driver brings to the team, they might get title sponsorship. I think you'll find that most teams have sponsors that look after fuel, lubrication, electrics/electronics, paintwork, etc... While not overly publicised, these all contribute to the running of a professional team.

Also ,down the pecking order, you have:
Formula Ford - Duckhams Van Diemen
Formula Vee - Stena Line Leastone

[bart_jacobs]

All F3000 teams.It takes alot of money to run a decent team,so even a team that starts in f3000 is a professional team that knows how hard it's gonna be.they are all very well prepared

[dwk]

Mackmot

I did not mean to cause any offense to you or your teams. I have been to F-3 and F-Ford events and realize how professional and upscale all of the teams run. However, I still have a mentality in my mind that in a top form of racing that having a driver buy his ride should be a last resort. Not the relied on norm. I guess my actual question should have been if any teams really make a lot of effort to secure their own sponsors or do they simply rely on the drivers. I understand that the economics of the situation probably make it unrealistic for most teams to allow free drives.

Also, while a rich team owner giving away free drives and paying for it out of his own pocket may not really be deemed professional or profitable I believe that such schemes are very good for the sport as they let true talent be the determining factor in getting drives.

[av8rirl]

dwk: I think you'll find it very hard to find a team lower than F3000 where the driver gets a free ride (in a racing car). For the people that run these teams, this is their job/profession. To be competitive is expensive. The expense is just relative to what class you are racing in. I would doubt that they would give some young lad a free drive without him bringing something the team. If teams did not have their own sponsorship, I think you'd find that the cost per driver would be more expensive to make up for lack of team sponsor.