Image credit: craig_visuals
For many drivers, sponsorship is what makes a season possible. Behind every car on the grid is a network of people and businesses helping to make the racing happen, from covering the cost of a seat to providing the support that allows a driver to focus on performing.
Motorsport sponsorship could be viewed simply as a commercial transaction: a company provides financial backing in exchange for its name appearing on a car. In reality, the relationship can be far more meaningful, allowing talented drivers to compete and introducing new audiences to a sport they might never otherwise experience.
For Phil Evans, that relationship began almost by accident. What started with a chance conversation has developed into personal relationships and the opportunity to experience motorsport from a whole new perspective.
MotorsportInsight spoke with Phil about how he became involved in motorsport sponsorship, what he looks for in a driver and what potential sponsors should consider before putting their support behind a team or competitor.
Tell us a little about your background and how you became involved in motorsport sponsorship.
I own B.I. Appleton, a Bosch Car Service garage. I joined the business as a 17-year-old apprentice in 2003 and worked my way up before taking over in February 2022. The garage has been there since 1939, and when the previous owner, Gerard, found himself without a successor, I offered to take it on and four years later here we are.
Image credit: craig_visuals
I’ve always loved motorsport. I grew up watching it on television, attended races and did some rally marshalling when I was younger. But my first involvement in sponsorship came about almost by accident.
In 2025, I was invited to a track day at Oulton Park. Will Orton, a British GT4 Silver champion and AMR Academy driver, was one of the instructors. We ended up sitting together in a car during a red flag and got talking about golf – jokingly agreeing that he would improve my driving if I improved his golf.
We exchanged numbers and stayed in touch. A few weeks later, Will asked whether I had ever considered sponsorship. Motorsport is incredibly difficult to fund, particularly for younger drivers. Without family support, substantial savings or sponsors behind them, progressing through the ranks can be extremely challenging.
I knew virtually nothing about sponsorship beyond putting a company’s name on the side of a car, but Will sent me a proposal and talked me through what was involved. He was racing in the GT4 European Series at the time, so I went to the final round in Barcelona with my dad, stepdad and Millie, our social media coordinator. That was the start of our sponsorship, which has continued ever since.
Through Tommy Watson and Mairon Motorsport, I later came across Hannah Chapman. She was struggling to fund the final two rounds of the Porsche Sprint Challenge, so we helped her reach the end of the season. She went on to win the amateur championship in her class.
I’ve always taken a light-hearted approach to sponsorship. There is a lot of very corporate sponsorship in motorsport, but that isn’t really us. The idea has always been to make it fun and show some personality, whether that’s taking cardboard versions of Will and Hannah to events or having a bit of fun on social media.
There’s no expectation that a driver has to finish first every time. The whole point is that we love the sport and want to enjoy the experience, whatever happens on track.
Seeing our logo on a car for the first time was a real pinch-me moment. When I saw it going around Brands Hatch on Hannah’s car, it genuinely brought a tear to my eye.
Why does sponsorship matter to you?
For some businesses, sponsorship can generate a direct commercial return. For me, it is more personal. I’m proud to see the garage’s name on a racing car, and I know Gerard and his father would be proud too. I still send Gerard photographs of the cars – and, funnily enough, he now brings his own cars to us.
Another big reason, though, is my apprentices. They haven’t necessarily come from backgrounds where attending a race weekend would have been possible. Their experience of motorsport might have been limited to watching it on television or playing Gran Turismo.
Being able to take them to a circuit and let them experience something that had previously felt like a fantasy is incredibly rewarding. Seeing them smile, laugh and enjoy the occasion means a great deal to me.
Money can secure a seat regardless of talent. I want to help someone with the ability but not necessarily the financial backing.
There is a Mazda MX-5 at the garage that we plan to turn into a race car, with the aim being to give talented drivers an opportunity when they might otherwise struggle to find the budget to progress. Drivers who are operating at the limit of their budget can spend an entire race worrying about being involved in an accident. Even when a collision isn’t their fault, they may still have to pay for the damage, and that pressure inevitably affects how they race.
The important difference is that sponsors would support the team rather than an individual driver. We could enter selected events as a guest team and give different drivers an opportunity. Even if the sponsorship only covers the entry fee for a weekend, that is still one major cost the driver doesn’t have to find.
Will and Hannah have both offered to help, whether that means instructing drivers or racing the car themselves. It’s a little different, but the response so far has been very positive. In the meantime, we plan to race a Citroën C1 next year, with the aim of competing at the 2027 Silverstone 24-hour race.
How does a motorsport sponsorship come together?
Image credit: craig_visuals
A sponsorship can technically begin at any time, but most agreements are made during the winter off-season. Drivers are trying to confirm their team, championship and budget, so they usually want everything in place by the beginning of the year.
There will normally be a contract because both sides need certainty. A driver needs to know the funding is secure, while the sponsor needs to understand what they’re getting in return.
However, there isn’t one correct way to be a sponsor. Every driver, company and relationship is different. You can read about sponsorship, but ultimately you learn by doing it.
From the beginning, I told Will that I wasn’t interested in supporting him for half a season and then disappearing. We are a team, and I intend to stay with him until he decides he no longer wants to race.
What do you look for before deciding to put your backing behind a driver or a team?
Talent matters, but so does character. If I don’t feel that personal connection, I won’t invest.
Quite a few people have approached me since becoming involved in sponsorship. Even if I had a pot of money available, I wouldn’t simply give it to the next driver who asked. Before supporting Hannah, I spoke to Will and asked whether he knew her and what he thought. Motorsport is a relatively small world, so I will always use my contacts to learn more about somebody.
“There needs to be a genuine connection.”
It has to be the right person, but it is also about the whole package around them – their family, management and team. Our relationship with Will is personal. Away from the circuit, it is essentially a friendship. We ask each other for advice and help each other when we can, and the friendship existed before the sponsorship and has continued naturally alongside it.
His other sponsors come from different industries, but we all share the same aim: helping Will do his best and absorbing some of the pressures around him.
Sponsorship is an investment, but it isn’t only about money. We invest our time, knowledge and contacts too. A large corporate sponsor may have a fixed budget spread across several sports and be unable to help when something goes wrong. A smaller, more personal group can sometimes respond differently. If Will suffered a series of accidents and exhausted his budget, we would sit down together and work out what was needed to get him through the season. That support can remove some of the pressure from the driver and allow them to focus on performing.
What does a typical race weekend look like for you as a sponsor?
For me, a race weekend is like Christmas. I love the atmosphere, the engineering, and simply being around the cars.
I enjoy meeting the team, the other sponsors and the drivers, but I am also there as a fan. I’ll walk around the circuit, watch the mechanics working and try to understand what everybody is doing. Even today, a grid walk still feels incredibly special.
I often don’t see much of Will during a race weekend. Some sponsors spend the entire weekend in the garage, which they are perfectly entitled to do, but that isn’t my style. I prefer to let him focus on his job, and I’m happy to wander around and enjoy the event.
Has sponsorship changed how you view motorsport?
Completely. I still watch as a fan, but I now understand far more about the business behind the sport – particularly the cost.
I had no idea how expensive even grassroots motorsport could be. At GT4 level, running a car can cost around £20 per kilometre. A test day might cost £3,000, while brakes and tyres can each cost thousands more. A full GT4 season can require a budget of roughly £250,000 to £300,000, usually divided between two drivers.
Once you understand those figures, you appreciate why sponsorship is so important.
I’ve also loved learning how different teams and businesses operate. There are lessons from race teams that I can bring back into the garage, particularly around teamwork, preparation and performance.
The relationships have been just as valuable. You meet drivers, mechanics, sponsors and people from across the sport, and most are remarkably down-to-earth. There is very little ego behind the scenes; it feels more like one big family. I find the inner workings of motorsport fascinating, and sponsorship has allowed me to experience a side of it that I would never otherwise have seen.
What has surprised you most about what it takes to perform?
It all comes down to marginal gains – that final 1%.
The cars must meet strict regulations, and the professional drivers are all closely matched, so the difference often lies in how effectively the team works together.
A tiny strategic error, a slow pit stop or the wrong decision when rain arrives can be the difference between winning and missing the podium. Whether a race lasts one hour or three, everybody has to perform at precisely the right moment.
What makes that commitment particularly striking is that many people are not there for the money. They give everything because they love motorsport and want to see their driver succeed. That shared passion is what drives the whole team.
What should somebody understand before becoming a sponsor?
First, be honest about why you are doing it and what you expect in return. Are you looking for business, brand exposure or simply the opportunity to support somebody and be part of the sport?
There should be a genuine connection with the driver or team. Don’t become a sponsor simply because everybody else is doing it or because the excitement of motorsport has carried you away.
Commit for at least one full season so you experience both the good and difficult moments. It is easy to become caught up in the glamour when the cars are fast and the champagne is flowing, but there will also be accidents, poor results and unexpected costs.
Most importantly, don’t invest more than you can comfortably afford. Keep something in reserve and don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
You should also be prepared to negotiate. Ask what the package includes, how many passes you will receive and what other opportunities are available. Don’t be afraid to ask what you are getting in return before agreeing to a figure.
Go into it with your eyes open – but once you are involved, enjoy it as much as you can.